


An Anomaly, On Top of Everything Else

by Cait_Sidhe



Series: On Top of Everything Else [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, LOVECRAFT H. P. - Works
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Animagus, Anxiety, Blood, Blood Drinking, Bloodplay, Cats, Consensual Kink, Depression, Established Relationship, Hallucinations, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recreational Drug Use, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-02-17 10:17:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 85,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13074783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cait_Sidhe/pseuds/Cait_Sidhe
Summary: Sequel to "A Vampire, On Top of Everything Else."The aftermath of the battle in the Department of Mysteries has not been kind to Harry. Ever since he bit the Old One, Kaalut, he's been feeling quite peculiar: He's seeing the things Luna sees, hallucinating entire conversations, having weird physical reactions, and manifesting strange powers... And what's the deal with Nyarlathotep's interest in this? In addition, Harry turns to various things to cope-- frequent visits to the Dreamlands (via a potion more illegal than nyx), alcohol, retreating into his new animagus form... In short, he's a mess. Good thing he has his boyfriend Draco Malfoy helping to keep him semi-stable!Oh, and of course, he still has all the vampire things to deal with, there's the new lessons with Dumbledore, Care of Magical Creatures gets interesting, students are being attacked, Luna is inexplically allowed to commentate quidditch, Voldemort is trying to obtain power from the Old Ones, friends find out his secrets, and numerous other fun things!





	1. A Potion, Panic, and OWLs

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here it is-- the sequel. Yes, I said it would be in January-- well, I got over-excited, with so many ideas spinning through my head, that I began neglecting things in order to write it! So, it is largely written already, and I will be posting one chapter a day for the most part (might skip a day or two due to holiday things), after the first two at once-- after all, all I have to do is edit them, maybe adding stuff here and there. Lucky you!
> 
> There are about the same number of chapters, but most are denser, so it'll be longer overall. It covers all of the 6th book.
> 
>  
> 
> Note that there will be some definitively adult content within this, including a lot of blood (hey, they are vampires, after all) and heavy drug/alcohol use.
> 
> If you feel there should be tags there that aren't, please let me know. My writing tends to have a mind of its own at times, meaning stuff gets added I didn't plan for; I try to add such tags when that happens, but may not realize.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; that right belongs to JK Rowling. The Lovecraft stuff is in public domain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I will be following the book chapters, fitting things in with them somewhat.
> 
> This starts roughly around book chapter 5, "An Excess of Phlegm." Chapters 1-4 I won't be using: 1 is the Minister explaining to the muggle Minister the situation with the war, which nothing is different about; 2 is Snape making the vow, which he has no need to do here; 3 is at the Dursleys, whom Harry did not go to in this; 4 is meeting Slughorn, which is also unchanged.

“You know, it’s really more humane to kill them, first.”

Harry paused to look at Draco, fangs sunk deep into the neck of a squirming, squealing badger.

“Quieter, too,” Draco added.

Harry unlatched his fangs, blood pouring from the animal as its life faded. “That takes too long; I was hungry.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Oh, sorry, I forgot snapping a neck takes the excruciatingly long wait of ten seconds. I think I’m going to ask Sirius to kill them before bringing them to us.”

“No! The blood will get cold!” Harry complained. 

“Then kill them first,” Draco told him. “Seriously, I’m starting to think you might have a bit of a sadistic side,” he teased.

Harry sneered playfully. “What, the fact that I always drive my fangs much deeper into your neck than necessary didn’t clue you in?” 

The two vampires were sitting in a shed outside Grimmauld Place. They had slipped out to it soon after arriving, as Sirius had mentioned that he left them some “treats” there, to enjoy during the Order meeting that they still were not permitted to attend. Harry and Draco visited the place once or twice weekly, when their respective caretakers-- Mrs. Weasley and Snape-- travelled there for the meetings. Ron always asked to go, too, but would change his mind once Harry reminded him that he would be visiting with Draco whilst there, so unless Ron suddenly had a change of heart and decided he wanted to be friends with the Slytherin boy, it was not recommended.

The door to the shed opened, causing the pair to freeze.

“Sirius…?” Harry asked, hoping that it was merely his Godfather and not anyone who didn’t know they were vampires-- or worse, Snape, who highly disproved of their penchant for animal blood.

“Harry, are the wrackspurts messing with your brain again?” Luna asked, entering the shed. “I am pretty sure I don’t look like the dog-person…”

“Sirius. His name is Sirius,” Harry told her, for must have been the umpteenth time.

Luna had found Grimmauld Place entirely of her own accord. To everyone’s utter surprise, she simply walked in one day as people were arriving for an Order meeting. All but Harry and Draco were utterly perplexed, and subsequently began frantically checking the wards and charms upon the house. Dumbledore then arrived and shrugged it off, saying that the spells were all in order-- it was merely Luna being Luna; it seemed even he had learned not to question what the blonde did. After that, she would randomly show up-- sometimes to just say hello and leave, but at other times to actually catch up and spend time with the boys.

“So, what’s up, Luna?” Draco asked the girl.

“Harry, you should finish that,” Luna gestured to the bloody badger in Harry’s hands, completely unperturbed. 

“Er, right,” Harry blushed and began draining the animal’s blood once again while Luna watched with a look of pure fascination painted upon her face. She really disturbed him sometimes. 

Luna finally spoke up again. “I found something you might like,” Luna told the boys, holding out a large vial of a murky deep purple potion swirling with silver. “It will let you dream again.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked, taking it from her.

“It can make those who don’t sleep, sleep, and have dreams you control. This way, you can go on the White Ship with me. I’ve been getting lonely on the dream voyages, you know. I keep remembering the one we went on together.”

Draco stared at her. “That sounds great and all, but if you don’t mind me asking, where did you get such a potion? It sounds like the lucid-dreaming draught, although I’ve never heard of it making non-sleeping creatures sleep… also, it’s completely illegal.”

“Oh, yes, I think that is what they called it. Or, something similar; I don’t recall exactly. I found it,” Luna told him.

“Right; but where did you find it?”

“The Plateau of Leng… a goat-man told me what it does. You should use it. I usually go on the journeys once every week or two; you don’t need to go on all, but on occasion it would be nice.”

“How do we know when to use it?” Harry asked her.

Luna looked thoughtful. “I suppose if you use it, the White Ship will know, and collect us.”

“Hold up a second; you want us to use a strange, probably highly illegal, potion that a goat-man told you will put us to sleep?” Draco pressed.

“Draco… she left,” Harry informed him.

 

*******

 

A few days later at The Burrow, Harry found himself hunched over the toilet. Mrs. Weasley had forced him to eat a huge portion of shepherd’s pie; this had not clashed well with his digestive tract. It seemed to be getting more difficult for him to digest any food other than meats and blood; eating human foods had always been mildly unpleasant since becoming a vampire, as it was all as tasteless as stale bread, but never before would it make him nauseous, or cause him to expel it like this, even if he had eaten a lot; Harry wondered if maybe some vampires were simply more sensitive to human food, and if that could develop over time.

Someone rapidly knocked on the door. “Harry, are you in there?” Hermione. Great, just what he needed. She had arrived the night prior, and would be staying there for a few days; Harry should have known that she’d be watching his eating. 

Harry collected himself, cleaning up with a few spells before exiting the bathroom. “Sorry, guess I was in there a while; you can use it now.”

“That’s not why I’m here.” She glanced suspiciously into the bathroom. “Are you feeling okay? You seemed a bit queasy after dinner, and ran here straight away…”

“Queasy?” Harry laughed. “Nah. Just had a lot to drink. It was a lot of food though-- think I’ll go sleep some of it off.” He blinked. She wasn’t there; huh, usually she didn’t let him go that easily. Harry headed to his room-- the one that had formerly been Percy’s. The Weasley home had a lot of empty rooms now, with five of their seven kids having moved out, although some of them did still visit and stay overnight fairly often. Not Percy, though; Harry-- and everyone else-- doubted he’d ever stay overnight here again.

Hedwig hooted at Harry in greeting as he entered the room.

“Hey, girl.” Harry ruffled Hedwig’s feathers a little before heading to his trunk, withdrawing from it some owl treats and a blood potion-- his hand grazed across the strange potion Luna had given him, and Harry vaguely thought about using it that night. No, he couldn’t, not without Draco-- he wondered if maybe he’d be allowed to stay overnight at Grimmauld Place with Draco one night. Odds of that were slim though, since Lupin was currently away on Order business and the rest of the adults seemed to think it was a bad idea of leaving them alone with only Sirius. Guess it would have to wait until the school-year began.

Ten or so minutes later, footsteps were heard, stopping at his door. Harry sniffed, then rolled his eyes and sighed. “Come in, Ron,” Harry called, not looking away from his book.

“How’d you know I was there?” Ron asked, confused as he entered the room.

“You weren’t exactly subtle; what, are you wearing lead boots or something?” Harry snapped.

“Hey!” Ron complained. “I don’t-- argh, nevermind. What’s got you in such a bad mood?”

Now it was Harry’s turn to be confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, mate, you fled after dinner, and now are in here brooding.”

“Brooding?” Harry scoffed. “Ron, I’m reading a book. Last I checked, that’s not brooding.”

“Well, then, what’s with the attitude?”

Harry closed his eyes. Maybe he had been acting a little moody. “Look, just… I guess I’m a little overwhelmed. I’m sorry if I seem snappish; I don’t mean to be.”

“Overwhelmed? What would you be overwhelmed about?”

“I’d imagine,” Hermione said, as she entered the room as well, “that he’s overwhelmed with having so much attention on him. Right, Harry?” Harry responded with a nod.

“Attention?” Ron blinked. “But Harry, you get attention all the time! The press, classmates, all of that. You get less attention here, if anything.”

Hermione sighed. “Ron, that’s not the kind of attention I’m talking about; I mean the kind your mom gives him. Coddling, forcing him to eat everything, always checking up on him, and all that.”

Ron was still confused. “But that’s just normal parenting stuff.”

“Which I never had,” Harry pointed out, jumping on the excuse Hermione had presented. He was overwhelmed about much more, but it was true that the coddling didn’t help. Mrs. Weasley had been taking her role of official guardian very seriously. “I was lucky to get a slice of bread for dinner some nights, before getting locked in my room and ignored, and when they didn’t ignore me it was not pleasant at all. The kind of attention I get here is still pretty foreign to me.”

“Right, I forgot…” Ron trailed. “But, wait, you’ve been here before in the summers, yet seemed fine.”

“A couple of weeks being treated as closer to a guest verses over a month of being treated as an actual son is a lot different, Ron,” Hermione replied.

“What she said,” Harry confirmed. “Now, can you give me some time alone, please?”

When his two friends left, Harry leaned back onto the bed, closing his eyes, pondering upon what had just occurred. Had he really been acting that moody lately? Well, the past few days he definitely had been, since he was squandering the few blood potions he had left-- like the idiot he was, Harry had left the new batch Snape had brought him at Grimmauld Place. Plus, even if that weren’t the case, who could blame him for being a little moody, with what had happened just over a month ago… Harry shook his head vigorously. No, he was not going to think about that. Not going to think about how he screwed up so badly, led his friends into danger… not going to think about how he taunted the Old One, causing her to break free… not going to think about the people thrown into her maw, how she still held Tonks in her tentacle when… Harry dove towards his trunk, frantically digging through with shaking hands to find a calming draught. Where was it? Had he run out? Crap, he had run out already. Harry sat back, leaning against the leg of the bed, arms curled around his knees. He took deep breaths, despite not needing them, trying to calm down the shaking, trying to stop thinking about all the death and pain he had caused…

 

*******

 

“Harry! Harry, wake up!” Hermione called urgently, banging open his door. “...Harry? Ron, Harry’s gone!”

Harry, hearing this from outside, dashed back to the house, entering the kitchen as the two descended the stairs. Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Fleur-- she and Bill, engaged, had been staying there too this summer-- looked at him surprised as they sat at the table eating breakfast. Mr. Weasley and Bill must have already left for work, Harry surmised.

“Harry!” Mrs. Weasley stood up, pulling him over to sit at the table. “Why were you outside? You know it’s dangerous to be out alone!” she scolded.

“Especially when no one knows you were there,” Ginny added. “What were you even doing?”

“I was, er, just talking a walk,” Harry told then sheepishly. ‘And grabbing a snack,’ he added to himself. He often went out at night, but usually returned well before they had woken; this time, however, his hunt for a snack had taken him much further than intended, and by the time he realized this it had already become too late to get back before being noticed.

“Well, next time, tell someone, so we can get you an escort and put proper protections in place,” Mrs. Weasley scolded. “You cannot be out alone in these trying times!”

“Right, I understand. So, er, what did you want, Hermione?” Harry quickly changed the subject, then cringed, realizing no human would have been able to hear her calling from that far. Luckily, she seemed too preoccupied to notice.

“Right! Harry, look, Ministry letters arrived, one for each of us-- I think they’re our OWL results!” She shoved an official-looking letter into his hand. “Oh, I hope I did okay, I know I messed up in quite a few places, what will happen if I fail everything?” Hermione seemed quite frazzled.

Harry chuckled. “Hermione, I think you’ll be fine. It’s Ron we have to worry about,” Harry teased.

“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Ron complained. “Let’s just look at them, alright?” He tore his letter open, with the other two following suit.

“I can’t look,” Hermione squealed, eyes closed tightly, what looked to Harry like a spiral of orange passing around her, but only briefly.

“Hermione,” Ron glanced over her shoulder, “you’re fine, trust me.”

“Oh. Yes, I suppose so,” Hermione blushed, seeing she got a single E amongst all O’s-- the latter were the highest grade possible, the former just below.

“I didn’t do so bad myself, see?” Ron proclaimed proudly. “I only failed Divination and History, which I had no chance of passing anyway! No O’s, though. How’d you do, Harry? O in defense of course, I assume?”

“Yes,” Harry confirmed, blushing, unsure how to tell him the rest of the grades.

“Did you get an OWL in Divination?” Hermione asked curiously. “You were doing really well in class this year.”

Harry laughed at that. “Yeah, well, unfortunately centaur magic isn’t approved Ministry curriculum; I completely bombed that one. Somehow managed to pass History though.”

“Seriously?” Ron marvelled. “That’s amazing! I bet half the class or more didn’t.”

Hermione gasped as she looked over Harry’s shoulder. “Harry, that’s more than just ‘managed to pass’!”

“What do you mean?” Ron grabbed the letter from a red-faced Harry. “Bloody hell, mate! An ‘E’? Seriously? Since when are you that good at History? And, wait a second…” Ron’s eyes widened. “An ‘O’ in everything else?”

“Not Charms,” Harry pointed out. “That’s an ‘E’, too.” He had expected much worse a grade there, seeing as he had ended up with a large purple rat rather than a small lilac one on the practical, but maybe he had done especially well on the written.

“That’s still amazing! Blimey, even an ‘O’ in Potions…” Ron shook his head in disbelief as he handed Harry back the letter. 

Hermione smiled, amused. “Ron, are you honestly that surprised? You’ve seen how well Harry’s been doing on his assignments this past year… besides, you did awfully well, too! Look, an ‘E’ in Potions; that’s definitely much better than you thought! Your hard work paid off.” Hermione beamed proudly. “In fact, you also got an ‘E’ in Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, and Defense-- those are all the ones needed to be an auror! Ron, you did it!”

Ron turned beet red. “Yeah, I guess,” he mumbled. “But, wait, doesn’t Snape only accept those with an ‘O’ into NEWT level Potions?” His face dropped as he turned to Harry. “Sorry, mate, guess we won’t be becoming aurors together…”

Harry looked down; he still hadn’t told his friend that he did not want to be an auror anymore-- after all, if he did, it would bring the question of ‘why not.’ However, Harry had known he would have had to say something eventually. “Ron…”

“Hey, maybe you can convince him Snape change his mind, Harry!” Ron piped up. “He seems to like you now.”

“That might be putting it a bit strongly,” Harry told him. “Pretty sure he’s still not that fond of me…” Although, that wasn’t actually true, Harry realized, once again-- he had grown so accustomed to thinking Snape hated him that such a response came automatically despite the past few months counteracting that thought.

“Bollocks,” Hermione told Harry. “For whatever reason, you’ve seemed to have grown on Snape; Ron’s right, maybe you can convince him.”

Harry found himself promising to do so, despite knowing that such merely continued to falsely lead Ron on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: An adventure in Diagon-- no, Knockturn?!-- Alley!


	2. Candy and Cats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during book chapter 6, "Draco's Detour".

“Harry!” Draco called, running up to him excitedly and enveloping the boy in a huge hug. 

Snape strolled up to the group, nodding to Mrs. Weasley. “I’ll leave him with you, then, Molly. Now, I have some business to attend to,” he said briskly, striding off.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, and Hagrid-- the latter sent as Harry protection in lieu of a group of aurors-- had just entered Diagon Alley. Their booklists, as well as a Quidditch Captain badge for Harry, had arrived the day after Harry’s 16th birthday, which had been a few days prior. The birthday had been celebrated via some cake and unpleasant news of more deaths and disappearances, including Ollivander and Fortescue-- the man who owned the ice cream shop here.

Harry resisted the urge to give Draco a kiss as he pulled away, smiling broadly. After all, most here didn’t know the two were dating... actually, come to think of it, maybe that wasn’t the case. Ron and his parents definitely did not know, but the other three did-- well, Hermione and Ginny definitely knew, at least, and Hagrid ought to know by now, although he could be a bit dense in such matters... even though he did catch them kissing once before entering his hut. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been quite welcoming of Draco, so they probably wouldn’t mind they were together… the main problem was, as usual, just Ron.

“Hello,” Luna greeted, causing most the group to jump. How did she manage to always just appear out of seemingly nowhere?

“Oh, hello, dear,” Mrs. Weasley greeted her. “Where’s your father?”

“Oh, he’s busy with work-- there’s a very important article about extraterrestrial sightings in the next Quibbler.”

“And he just lets you wander around unsupervised?” Mrs. Weasley asked incredulously. “In these times?”

“That’s too suspicious!” Mr. Weasley interjected. “A young girl permitted to wander without supervision in wartime? How do we know you’re the real Luna?”

Luna blinked at him, wide-eyed. “How does anyone know if they’re real?” She enquired.

Mr. Weasley narrowed his eyes at her while the teenagers all rolled theirs-- he had been doing this a lot lately. “Harry, ask her a question only the real Luna would know!”

“Er. What?”

“To confirm it’s her! If she doesn’t know it or answers wrong, it’s not her, but if she does, it is her! Foolproof!”

Harry sighed. It was anything but foolproof, but he might as well comply. “Alright, let’s see… Luna, what color are the moon-birds of Celephaïs?”

Luna looked at Harry as if he had sprouted antennae. “One cannot hope to classify the sheer brilliance of a moon-bird’s plumage!” she proclaimed.

“It’s Luna,” Harry decided, garnering a very confused Mr. Weasley.

Ron then grinned slyly. “You know, dad, no one confirmed if that really is Malfoy…”

“By god, Ron, you’re right! Harry, ask him something, too!”

Harry sighed. “Seriously? I’m pretty certain it's him…” He’d know the smell of that blood anywhere.

“Of course! You can never be too safe in this day and age!”

“Yeah, yeah. Fine. Draco, in which shape did the water in the rainbow fountain flow for us?”

“Heptagramal,” Draco responded immediately.

Harry turned to Mr. Weasley again. “It’s him. Happy now? Let’s go.” He grabbed Draco’s arm and began walking off.

“Er, yes, I think so,” Mr. Weasley told him, once again rather confused by the response. “What’s the--”

“Best not to ask, dad,” Ron whispered, putting his hand on his father’s arm. “Those two can be as crazy as Luna sometimes.”

Harry turned and glared. “We are not crazy,” he told Ron, “and neither is Luna.” He again turned to walk off. 

Ron stared in shock, unsure as to how Harry had heard him, as well as to how he could possibly think Luna was anything other than crazy. “Hey, Hermione…” he turned to the girl.

“I know, Ron,” she whispered, as the rest of the group began walking too. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure out what’s going on with him, and solve it before he ends up at St. Mungo’s.”

Diagon Alley looked much more drab than it had in the past. Posters with Ministry protection instructions as well as photos of known Death-Eaters-At-Large adorned most the windows. Harry wondered how many of those Death-Eaters were actually no longer at-large, rather, in Kaalut’s stomach… Draco noticed Harry looking at the signs, and squeezed his hand when Ron wasn’t looking, helping Harry to cut off that train of thought. Some shops, such as Ollivander’s, were closed indefinitely, as expected. 

Soon, they arrived at Madam Malkin’s-- most of them needed new robes. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley decided to leave Hagrid with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco to get the robes while they, Ginny, and Luna went to get everyone's books.

Draco took two steps into the robe shop before promptly turning around, pushing Harry-- the only other person left to enter-- back out the door, to where Hagrid was waiting. 

“Draco, what’s wrong?” Harry asked, hearing his boyfriend’s heart pounding.

Draco closed his eyes, attempting to collect himself. “M-my mother.”

“Your mother’s in there?” Harry had forgotten about that. Draco’s issues had only been with his father, as far as Harry knew-- the blonde never had mentioned anything about his mother.

Draco nodded. “Yeah, and… well, she… er…”

“She doesn’t know?” Harry whispered, catching on.

“I don’t know what my father told her, actually. I haven’t seen nor heard from her since I fled, an entire year ago. She hasn’t made any attempt to contact me, though, even after father’s death.”

“Maybe he told her you died? But, wait, wouldn’t she have been contacted by that Ministry custody office? They contacted the Dursleys.”

Draco laughed a little. “Did you honestly think that form is real? Yours is, but if there had been any investigation at all into MY home life, well, you can imagine the fiasco there, particularly as last year the Ministry was trying to deny everything that was happening. It would have been suicide for anyone investigating.”

“Er, right. That’s very true. So, she still has custody?”

“I think so. Although, you do have a point about her being told I died; I wouldn’t put it past my father to tell her that, in order to cover up disowning me. Which he did, officially-- after father died, I tried accessing the family accounts, but my name has officially been removed from them all.”

“Draco, yeh might wan’ teh ‘ide, looks like yehr mother is comin’ ou’ soon,” Hagrid warned. “She’s at the register.”

Draco yelped in surprise, then grabbed Harry’s arm and dashed into the nearby alleyway.

“‘Ey! ‘Arry, Draco!” Hagrid called. “Eh, whatever, ‘ey can ‘andle ‘emselves.” He mumbled the last part nearly inaudibly, but Harry’s vampire hearing picked it up easily. Harry took that as invitation to go do what they wanted.

“Hey, I think he just gave us free range, more or less,” Harry whispered to Draco. “Want to walk around a bit, just us?”

Draco took Harry up on that, so they began walking, not really paying much attention to where they were going... until they found themselves at the entrance to Knockturn Alley.

“Harry,” Draco called, stopping as the boy walked further in. “Maybe this is the wrong place to be; imagine how mad Mrs. Weasley would be to find us here?”

“She’s already going to be mad that we went off without telling her,” Harry pointed out.

“True… oh, hey, Mindy!” Draco called, noticing the faun nearby. 

Mindy turned and strolled over to meet them. “Draco! Harry! Fancy meeting you here. I was just picking up some ingredients for the pub.”

“What things would you need to go here for rather than a regular grocery?” Harry asked, puzzled.

Draco was the one to answer that query. “Harry, do you honestly think the ingredients for all those foods and drinks would be found at a human grocery?”

“Exactly,” Mindy confirmed. “Most the things can be gotten at your typical grocery or apothecary, but some of the ingredients are a bit tougher to find-- the bat blood for those cocktails you love so much, for example. There’re stores around here that specialize in foods which magical beings prefer. There’s even one for candy; they have blood lollies with actual blood in them, if you want me to show you it.”

“Yes!” Harry told her, perking up. “Please,” he added quickly.

Mindy laughed. “Okay, sheathe your fangs, it’s right this way.” They chatted with Mindy for a bit as they walked. She seemed to think very highly of Lupin, claiming he was one of the best employees she’d had-- “For once, someone who doesn’t consume more than he serves”-- to the point she felt fine leaving him there alone while she restocked. Eventually, they reached the destination; Mindy went into a store that appeared to be selling various types of eggs, and the two vampires went into a shop called “Cleo’s Creature Candy Creations.”

“A bit heavy on the alliteration there,” Draco snickered.

“Mhm,” Harry agreed, looking around; the place was small, but jam-packed with strange candies and treats of all kinds, from gross-sounding ones like “freeze-dried frog-liver bits” to ones like “pinecone pixies” that sounded like they belonged on a Christmas tree. Harry made a beeline to the aisle labelled “blood.”

“Looking for anything in particular?” asked a woman only a few years older than the two. She had cat-ears and two long tails-- a nekomata.

“Are you Cleo?” Draco asked, joining Harry.

“Nope, that’s my grandmother. She mostly stays at home now; my dad and I run the place. If you ever think there’s improvements to be made with any of the products, just let us know, and she’ll work on it!” Purple confetti glittered around her very briefly; just a flash, really, almost too quick for Harry to notice, but he did. Odd.

“Your Grandmother made all these?” Harry marvelled.

“Yep! And she’ll make bigger things, like cakes or cookie trays, too,if you want. We have a book on the counter with options, but she’ll also work with you if you want something else.”

“That’s amazing. She’ll really make anything?”

“Providing it’s legal, of course-- so, no human blood for you boys. Otherwise, my grandmother prides herself on her ability to satisfy her customers!”

“You sound proud of her,” Draco noted.

The girl smiled broadly. “That I am! Well, let me know if I can help you boys with anything! Oh, those are amazing, by the way-- the rabbit blood ones are my favorite,” she gestured to the display of chocolate truffles which Harry was examining, and then returned to the counter, burying her nose in a book.

“I don’t understand,” Harry quietly mused. “Why would a place as neat as this be here, of all places?”

Draco chuckled. “Do you really think wizards would want a shop so-called ‘dark creatures’ like us frequent being next to the ones their children go to?”

“Er, right, sorry.” Harry had briefly forgotten that the wizarding community was not very partial towards non-humans. “Hey, you getting anything?”

Draco blushed. “Er, no, I, uh…”

Harry’s eyes widened in realization. Draco had been cut off from the Malfoy funds; his supplies were being funded by a special fund the school had for such cases, and any money for extra things was provided by Snape, who would wholeheartedly disapprove of their choice of snacks. “It’s okay, I’ll get you something, my treat.”

“Are you sure, Harry?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I insist, actually. Choose something.”

Draco picked out a bag of “bloody beans,” which seemed to be similar to the wizarding kind, but with random types of animal blood rather than flavors-- all of the candies using blood used animal blood, to Harry’s relief, although admittedly he hadn’t really been paying attention to that initially. Actually, didn’t the shopkeep mention that? Harry finally decided upon a handful of blood lollies, made from a mix of various bloods, as well as a few chocolate truffles filled with a cream saturated with hawk blood.

As the two made their way back to their friends-- who were probably going to kill them, Harry grimly mused-- they tried the bloody beans, seeing if they could guess the flavors. Harry was amazed at how much the flavors varied-- back as a human, he had thought all blood was the same, but his vampire senses told him that that was far from the case. So far, there had been rabbit, deer, cow, something similar to deer but slightly different, chicken, sheep, goat…

“Hmm, I’m not sure what this one is,” Draco mused, rolling the bean around in his mouth. “Seems like it might be avian; here, you try it.” He pressed his mouth to Harry’s, transferring the bean.

Harry’s eyes lit up. “Hawk. This one is definitely hawk.” Hawk blood was his favorite; Harry wasn’t sure if that was because a hawk had been the first type of animal blood he tried, or if it just coincidentally happened to be the one he liked most.

Draco chuckled. “You’re adorable. Hey, let’s put the beans away now; we’re approaching Diagon Alley.” He rolled his eyes as Harry pouted. “That isn’t going to work on me. Have one of those lollies instead or something-- but eating ‘bloody beans’ around your friends will seriously raised a lot of questions.”

Harry winced at that reminder, and took Draco’s suggestion of sucking a blood lollie instead-- or, rather, licking it in an extremely seductive manner while staring straight at Draco. Harry grinned in triumph as Draco turned the color of the lollipop.

“Love is a wonderful thing,” Luna commented. 

Harry nearly dropped his lollipop as his mouth fell open in surprise. “L-luna? Where did you come from?!”

Luna ignored the question. “They’re all looking for you, you know. They are very angry at Hagrid, as well.”

Well, crap. Harry didn’t see any way they could get out of this one; Mrs. Weasley would surely punish him. How, though? Would she take away his broom, like she did with Ron last winter? But this was much worse… and Snape! What would he do with Draco? Yes, he knew they didn’t really need protection, but he’d still be mad they ran off like that… well, it wasn’t their fault Mindy had been there, and told them about the shop. True, they had decided to follow her, but still…

“Harry, hey, snap out of it!” Draco shook his shoulder. “Come on, let’s hurry and get back to Diagon Alley; if they find us here, it’ll be worse!”

The three of them dashed into Diagon Alley, getting as far away from Knockturn Alley as possible before looking for their companions.

“Harry!” Someone called. When he turned to look, Harry received a bushel of brown hair in his face, courtesy of Hermione’s tackle-hug. “We were so worried! Whatever possessed you to go running off like that?”

They were quickly joined by the rest of the group, including a very sheepish Hagrid trailing behind. All of them had the same question, and all of them looked very angry.

“Er. We got lost?” Harry tried.

“It’s my fault,” Malfoy told them. “I saw my mother in Madam Malkin’s, panicked, and ran off. Harry followed me. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, and we got lost. Ended up heading the completely wrong direction to get back.”

“Yes, that’s what happened,” Harry collaborated the lie.

“Uh-huh.” Ginny crossed her arms. “And you stopped for candy on the way?” Harry had been speaking around the lollipop.

“Oh, I gave him that,” Luna informed Ginny, to Harry’s surprise. He hadn’t expected Luna to collude with them; then again, you never knew what to expect when it came to Luna.

Somehow, the adults accepted this story, and there were no punishments handed out-- they were just happy Harry was safe, and sympathetic towards Draco’s panic. Shopping for supplies continued, and eventually they reached Fred and George’s new shop-- “Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes.” It was chock full of both items and people; Harry left with a huge amount of merchandise, all on the house, at Fred and George’s insistence, and Ginny got a furry little pet called a pygmy puff. Soon they reached the last stop, Eeylop’s Owl Emporium-- Harry and Ron wanted some treats for their owls. Harry felt a bit sad for Draco; he had lost his owl upon being disowned, as it was the family’s, not his specifically. Maybe Draco would allow Harry to get him a new owl. However, upon exiting the shop, Harry noticed Draco looking in the window of the shop next door…

“They’re cute,” Harry smiled at Draco as he joined him at the window. “Do you want one?”

Draco smiled sadly. “It doesn’t matter; don’t have the money.”

“Don’t worry about that, Draco; come on, let’s pick one out.” Harry grabbed Draco’s hand and dragged him into the pet shop, despite protests about how he didn’t need to spend his money on him and whatnot. Harry could spend his money how he wanted, and right now he wanted Draco to have a pet.

“Welcome, sirs,” the shopkeeper greeted. “May I help you with anything?”

“Yes, please,” Harry told the little old man, leaving no time for a blushing Draco to protest. “We’d like one of the kittens in the window.”

“Ah, yes! They’re part-kneazle, you know. Just arrived earlier today, courtesy of one of our best breeders, Arabella Figg. They’re all ready to go as is-- all up to date on shots, neutered or spayed, and have clean bills of health. Do you have a particular one in mind?”

Harry turned to Draco. “Not yet,” the boy said quietly. “Harry, are you sure…?”

“Well, then, come over here, don’t be shy!” The shopkeeper told them. “Take as long as you need to decide… oh, it looks like they already like you! I tell you, cats, part-kneazle or not, always know good people when they meet them.”

After a little time petting the others, Harry noticed a smaller one off in the corner, watching them. She was all black save for a touch of white tipping her tail and cresting her forehead in what looked like a little crescent moon. She seemed like she wanted to interact as well, but was rather shy to.

The shopkeeper noticed Harry’s gaze. “Ah, yes, that one. She’s very sweet, but being the runt of the litter, is bullied a bit by the others, it seems. Would you like to hold her? Here.” The man reached into the pen, picked the kitten up, and placed her in Harry’s arms. Draco moved close to Harry to see the cat, who looked at him wide-eyed and let out a tiny mew.

“This one,” Draco decided immediately. “Definitely this one.”

Harry purchased the kitten, as well as some supplies and a carrier, and they left with her, the tiny cat sitting in Draco’s arms instead of the carrier, receiving squeals from the rest of the group.

“Does she have a name yet?” Ginny asked excitedly.

“Not yet,” Draco told her. “Though given the mark on her forehead,perhaps something related to the moon would be appropriate…”

“How about something from mythology?” Hermione suggested. “A goddess of the moon; there’s certainly plenty to choose from.”

“I like the name Coyolxauhqui,” Luna said. When everyone stared at her, she clarifies, “That’s the one from Aztec mythology whose head became the moon after it was cut off.”

“We are not naming her that!” Draco declared. “That is way too disturbing of an image. Plus it’s way too long.”

“Also, Luna, I think you’re the only one here who can actually pronounce it properly,” Harry added.

“How about Selene? That’s the Greek goddess of the moon,” Hermione suggested. “She was said to drive a chariot across the sky with it, like Hermes did with the sun. A much nicer image, and pronounceable.”

“I like Silawe Nazarate, too,” Luna mused. “She’s an Indonesian goddess of the moon.”

“Again, Luna, too long,” Draco told her. “Selene is nice.”

“But that’s too common,” Luna insisted. “How about Selardi? That’s shorter. She’s the personification of the moon in Urartu.”

“Is that even a real place?” Hermione asked skeptically.

“Why, yes, it was. It existed from around the 9th to 6th centuries BC in the Armenian Highlands.”

Hermione blinked. “How do you even know that? It’s so obscure!”

“Really? I thought it was common knowledge...”

“That one’s actually pretty good,” Draco told them. “What do you think?” He looked the cat in the eyes. “Do you like the name Selardi?”

“Mew!” Came the response, followed by a purr.

Harry smiled at them. “I think that’s a ‘yes’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Classes are chosen, Hagrid introduces them to a very special creature, and a mysterious happenstance!


	3. Class Choices and a Runespoor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place over book chapters 7, "The Slug Club," 8, "Snape Victorious," and 9, "The Half-blood Prince".

Time flew by, and before he knew it, Harry was boarding the Hogwarts Express for his sixth year. He was somewhat nervous about things; there were going to be a lot of changes around Hogwarts. Dumbledore had taken him to help recruit a new professor, who turned out to be the old potions master and would be replacing Snape while Snape would take over Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry and Draco had begged him not to, since there was that whole curse on the position, but Snape had assured them that, although he firmly believed there was no curse, he would only be filling in for a year anyway. Harry figured that meant they couldn’t find anyone so did that to prevent another Ministry appointment. Another big change, which they had just learned a few days prior, was that not only Adrian, but Daphne too would not be returning. She had done well on her OWLs, but a position at the place Adrian worked at had opened which did not require NEWTs, so she had applied and subsequently got it-- she did not specify what the position actually was, though. They also apparently were now engaged, with a wedding planned for the following summer, just a few weeks after Bill and Fleur’s-- that was going to be quite a chaotic month. Along with this, a number of those on the quidditch teams had graduated, so Harry and Draco, both newly appointed team captains, would have to engage in the arduous task of holding tryouts in an attempt to form cohesive teams. Harry, remembering the fiasco tryouts had been after he, Fred, and George had been banned, was not looking forwards to that at all. Harry would also be getting private lessons with Dumbledore, in addition to continuing Occlumency, which was going to make his schedule extremely busy, despite having less official classes. Harry was becoming overwhelmed just thinking about it!

 

Ron and Hermione had to run off to do prefect things once they boarded the train, so Harry ended up in a compartment with Draco, Luna, Blaise, and Neville. The last two seemed fairly enamoured by Selardi.

 

“So, what do all the NEWT students plan to take this year?” Blaise asked, tickling the cat’s stomach. “I’m assuming Potions is a go, right?”

 

“Not me,” Neville said. “Can’t take another year with Snape.”

 

“Actually, Neville, Snape isn’t teaching Potions this year,” Harry told him. “He’ll be doing Defense.”

 

“What? You’re joking!” Neville proclaimed, stunned.

 

“Nope, it’s true,” Draco pitched in. “He told us himself. The new Potions master is actually the one they had before Snape, coming out of retirement.”

 

“Wow. That’s unexpected,” Blaised said. “Hmm. I wonder if maybe they couldn’t find someone for Defense, and are trying to avoid another Ministry appointment?”

 

“That’s what we think too,” Harry replied. “So, Neville, that means you can take Potions!”

 

“Nah, I still only barely got the OWL; there’s no way I could do NEWT level, regardless of who’s teaching. I’m still undecided on classes; the only ones I’m sure I’ll be taking are Defense and Herbology.”

 

“I think we’re all taking Defense, right?” Harry asked, receiving nods in response. “And none of us are taking History or Divination?” The nodding became more enthusiastic.

 

“What about Care of Magical Creatures?” Blaise mused. “That class certainly is interesting-- bloody dangerous, and only will get moreso, but still pretty fun. Usually light on homework too.”

 

“Harry and I definitely plan to take that,” Draco informed him, with Harry nodding in agreement. The two of them felt pretty close to magical creatures now, technically being such themselves. Plus, being in the class increased their chances of getting treats from Hagrid, and it would be difficult hunting with their full schedules.

 

“Really?” Neville asked. “I don’t know; Gram says that it’s pretty useless.”

 

“Psh, don’t listen to what she says, Neville,” Blaise told him. “Do what you want! It’s your life, not hers.”

 

Neville smiled wanly. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

 

Ron and Hermione joined them then, having completed their prefect duties. Ron frowned upon seeing Harry sitting between the two Slytherins, but didn’t say anything, which Harry took as real progress.

 

After a bit, some blushing third year girls entered, bearing invitations for Harry, Neville, and Blaise to attend lunch with the new professor, Horace Slughorn, in his compartment. Reluctantly, the three went; Slughorn was interested in making connections, as Harry had suspected. The only one who wasn’t connected to someone famous-- or famous themselves, in Harry’s case-- was Ginny, who was there because Slughorn saw her slinging an impressive bat-bogey hex. He was incredibly interested in what occurred at the Ministry, appearing delighted to learn that three others there had been there with Harry. Somehow, Harry managed to get through it without becoming panicked, in part thanks to Neville, who managed to divert the conversation at sensitive points-- Neville had been there too, after all, and wanted to avoid speaking about the scene with the Old One as much as Harry did. Slughorn kept them there nearly until the train arrived at the station.

 

The three plus Ginny returned to their compartment, upon whence they explained to the others what had gone on.

 

“Wow. That’s really… wow.” Ron seemed to be at a loss for words. “And he’s going to be teaching us? Man, if we didn’t need Potions to be aurors…”

 

Harry bit his lip. He still hadn’t told Ron he didn’t want to be an auror, and everyone else in the compartment-- all knowing of the situation-- was looking at him expectantly now. “Ron…” Harry began, only to be interrupted by the train arriving at the station.

  


*******

  


“I think Hagrid honestly expects us to be taking Care of Magical Creatures,” Hermione said to Harry and Ron, sighing, at breakfast the next morning, while they waited for McGonagall to come around to confirm which classes they were taking.

 

“I feel a bit bad about it,” Ron admitted. “I don’t expect anyone will be continuing to NEWT level, as usual. He really seems to think we will, though…”

 

“Well, actually,” began Harry, as McGonagall reached them.

 

The head-of-house cleared Hermione and Ron for the subjects they wanted, then rounded on Harry. “Well, Mister Potter? Have you decided on anything, yet? Your schedule is largely unfilled, other than Defense, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures.” Hermione and Ron gasped upon hearing that last one.

 

“Er, well, actually, I’m not sure what else to take,” Harry admitted. “I thought maybe you’d have an idea of what’s best? I’m considering teaching.”

 

“Oh? So you definitely no longer wish to be an auror then?”

 

“Well, not really…”

 

“I see. Well, anything specific you would want to teach?”

 

“No, nothing specific.”

 

“In that case, I’d recommend the same subjects as you’d need as an Auror, actually, since they’re all the basics. So in addition to the three you’re taking already, I’d recommend Transfiguration, Herbology, and Charms. Technically History would be desirable too, but you don’t have the mark for that. Does this sound like an acceptable course load?”

 

“Well, actually, I have another question-- is it possible to take introductory Ancient Runes as well? I was reading a bit about the subject, and it seems really interesting…”

 

“Well, being an introductory class, I don’t see the course load being a problem, but I’ll need to look into scheduling for that. As far as I know, not enough older students are entering it this year to hold an additional class, so you would have to be with the third years, which does conflict with NEWT Potions. If more older students express interest, however, an additional class can be scheduled, upon which a time will be decided. I’ll mark you down as interested, and let you know if we get enough students for such.”

 

“Thank you. Draco wants to take it too, if that helps.”

 

McGonagall nodded. “It may. There will actually be a faculty meeting later today to discuss such schedulings, as it’s quite common for the NEWT students to want to learn new subjects instead of continuing old ones, particularly those who didn’t qualify for the classes they wanted. I’ll let you know what’s decided.” She moved onto the next person.

 

Ron and Hermione were looking at Harry with utterly astounded expressions.

 

“Er, yeah. So, Ron, I actually don’t want to be an auror…”

 

“I heard,” Ron said flatly. “What the bloody hell, mate? Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“Well, I tried to, but there just was never a good time to say. I don’t want to spend my life fighting, Ron. I’ve already done too much of it. But teaching the DA… well, I really felt at home there.”

 

“Well, I think it’s a great option,” Hermione told him decidedly, before Ron could retort. “You’re right-- you did seem right at home teaching the DA! But I’m curious, Harry-- what caused you and Draco to decide upon taking Ancient Runes, of all subjects?”

 

“Well, like I said to McGonagall, it seems really interesting; Blaise left his book in the lounge one day, so Draco and I decided to take a look at it, and realized it’d be fun to learn. I mean, we have a bunch of free periods due to dropping History and Divination, so why not?”

 

“Did I seriously just hear you put ‘fun’ and ‘learn’ in the same sentence?” Ron asked, with a bit of a sneer. “Are you turning into Hermione?”

 

Hermione huffed. “Really, Ron, just because you’d rather have an empty mind doesn’t mean everyone does! I’ll see you later; I’m going to be late to Runes.”

  


*******

  


Instead of heading back to the Gryffindor common room with Ron, who still was sour about Harry’s career choice, Harry spent the morning free period alone with Draco in their lounge-- needless to say, not a lot of talking was done, seeing as they hadn’t gotten a chance to be alone together in a few weeks. Harry was delighted to learn that the entire day consisted of either classes or free periods shared with his boyfriend.

 

“Hey, you might want to cover that,” Blaise snickered, joining them before Defense. He gestured to a bite mark on Draco’s neck, causing both him and Harry to turn bright red.

 

In Defense class, Harry sat with Draco, which elicited a smile from Hermione but a scowl from Ron. They partnered together, too, when it came time to practice nonverbal jinxes and shield charms, leaving a somewhat baffled Ron to partner with Hermione as his typical backup partner, Neville, had chosen Blaise. However, Draco and Harry soon discovered a problem, and requested to speak to Snape in private.

 

“Yes?” Snape asked, once they stood in the hallway with him.

 

“Er, well, there’s a slight problem with us practicing nonverbal shield charms,” Harry began.

 

Draco continued. “We can’t exactly tell if they’ve worked or not; all the approved practice jinxes bounce off us regardless.”

 

“...I see. That is a problem. Perhaps we can use some time in Occlumency lessons to practice such while using spells that actually will affect you; for now, focus on just getting the jinxes nonverbal. If anyone asks, we will pretend you have succeeded with the shield charms, so that your classmates don’t get suspicious.”

 

By the end of class, Harry, Draco, and a few other students actually managed to get a couple of spells off nonverbally, although the only one to consistently do so was Hermione, as expected.

 

During the subsequent break and free period, Neville and Blaise joined Draco and Harry in the lounge. All four of them had Care of Magical Creatures after lunch, and were extremely excited for it. What would Hagrid show them first? Would they go into the forest? Harry hoped they would go into the forest; he actually liked it there quite a bit now. As long as they didn’t study the acromantulas, of course! Draco, as he pet the purring Selardi, thought perhaps they would study the more intelligent creatures, like kneazles; he was very proud of his cat.

 

They split up briefly for lunch, as Madam Pomfrey insisted on continuing to see Harry for it, especially considering the ordeal at the Ministry a few months prior. She was still concerned over the ooze he had swallowed in addition to his mental state. Harry actually found himself okay with this, though; admittingly, being able to talk to someone openly about his feelings without fear of causing them burden was quite nice. He talked to her about Ron that day, how he had waited too long to tell him he didn’t want to be an auror.

 

“And what really sucks,” Harry continued, “Is that I can’t tell them the real reason why I can’t be an auror, either! They have no idea I get panic attacks, and have no idea that I’m a vampire. Whether I want to or not, being an auror just isn’t in the cards.”

 

“Well, do you want to? If you didn’t have the attacks, and your creature status were accepted, would you?”

 

“Honestly? I don’t know. I do like the idea. But, I like the idea of teaching, too; if it weren’t for the fact that I can’t be an auror, I wouldn’t have even considered teaching, but the more I think about it, the more I want to. I could make a real difference, especially by teaching half-breeds and non-human wizards who can’t attend schools like Hogwarts. Maybe I can even start a school for them.”

 

“That’s an admirable goal, Harry.” Madam Pomfrey smiled. “Just be careful you don’t sacrifice your mental health for such; no matter how brilliant the result may be, if you lose yourself in the process, it isn’t worth it, understand?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Harry wondered if she’d say the same to him in regards to the prophecy that said he needed to be sacrificed.

 

Draco, Neville, and Blaise arrived just then to pick Harry up, and they ventured towards Care of Magical Creatures class together. Arriving there-- a few minutes late-- the quartet realized that the four of them had apparently been the only ones to continue to NEWT level for that class.

 

Hagrid showered them with a huge smile. “There yeh are! I was worried yeh might not show! Gotta say, I was surprised when I got the roster; I knew ‘Arry and Draco would be ‘ere, but didn’ expect yeh two, Neville, Blaise. Though’ ‘Ermione and Ron would be ‘ere instead.”

 

“Er, yeah, they said they had too many other classes, couldn’t fit it in well,” Harry lied. “So, what do you have planned for our first NEWT-level class?” He grinned broadly, to match Hagrid’s.

 

“Righ’! ‘Arry, yer gonna love this one! Yeh can e’en speak teh it!”

 

Draco raised his eyebrows. “Harry can speak to it? Would it be a type of snake, then?”

 

“Oh god. It better not be a basilisk or something,” Blaise moaned.

 

“Wha’? I would never show yeh a basilisk! Nah, this one is o’ly a runespoor!”

 

Neville paled. “A runespoor? Hagrid, that’s just as bad as a basilisk!”

 

“Neville, relax,” Draco told him. “A basilisk has a 5X classification. Runespoors are only 4X.”

 

“Righ’, wha’ ‘e said,” Hagrid confirmed, while Neville still whined-- “Only 4x! Only! That’s still bad!”-- “Now, the one I got is still young; typically they’re six or se’en feet, but this one is only two. Been aroun’ people since an egg, bred from captive ones, so won’ be scared. ‘E won’ e’en ‘urt yeh much if attacked, teh venom isn’ bad yet, an’ I ‘ave an antidote, too…” Hagrid led them to a pen with a hissing crate on one end; with a flick of his umbrella, the crate opened.

 

A three-headed orange-and-black smooth-bodied snake slithered out quickly, and stopped in front of the group. Harry looked at the thin three-foot-high mesh in between them and the snake; something told him the snake was only staying in it by its own volition, and could climb that whenever it wanted.

 

“ _Hello_ ,” Harry greeted it.

 

“ _Hello_ ,” leftmost head replied. _“You do not smell human, yet you are with humans. Why?”_

 

“ _They’re my friends. I was human once, too.”_

 

“ _Humans are mean. They took my kin and I from our home and brought us to this strange place.”_

 

_“Wait. They took you? You weren’t with humans since an egg?”_

 

The snake looked at him with a baffled expression. _“Is that what you were told? No, we were taken. We were happy in our warm home, all of us together. Now we are separated and in this cold place_.”

 

Harry turned around. “Hagrid! Where did you get this runespoor? He was poached, not bred!”

 

Hagrid blinked. “Er. Wha’?”

 

“They took him and his family from their home in Africa! He needs to go back there!”

 

“ _It is alright_ ,” the runespoor’s rightmost head said. “ _Our kin will not be there, so there is no point going back._ ”

 

“ _Plus we get food here without needing to hunt_ …” the middle head mused. “ _And the strange-smelling large man is nice to us, when he isn’t putting us in the dark box… if there were more warmth, it would be very nice to live here…_ ”

 

“ _So, are you saying you don’t want to go back_?” Harry asked.

 

“ _Correct. We wish to stay with the strange-smelling large man. We like you too. We have never met one who could speak to us before. It is very sad to not be understood when we try to reply to things. You do not live with the strange-smelling large man, though. Will you visit us?”_

 

“ _Yes, I will visit,_ ” Harry told the snake earnestly, before turning back to Hagrid. “He actually says he would like to stay here with you, although he dislikes the cold weather a bit. He also dislikes the box, it makes him sad to not be understood when he replies to what you say, and wants me to visit.”

 

Hagrid looked like he was going to cry. “I- I don’ kno’ wha’ teh say!” He turned to the snake. “Of course yeh can stay wi’ me! D’yeh ‘ave a name of yeh own?”

 

“ _Yes_ ,” the snake replied. “ _It is [unpronounceable hiss]._ ”

 

“ _That isn’t a sound normal humans can say,_ ” Harry told the snake.

 

“ _Then I need a name humans can say_.” The snake looked at Hagrid.

 

Harry turned to Hagrid and translated. “His name is _[unpronounceable hiss]_ , but since most humans can’t say that properly he wants you to give him a new one.”

 

The rest of the lesson was dedicated to choosing a name for the runespoor, with the snake also involved in the selection of course-- it took the entire remainder of the class because the three heads had a tough time agreeing on what they liked. The final selection had been one Neville had selected, “Apollo.” The snake enjoyed how it looked written, as well, and was able to make a rudimentary copy of it via sliding his tail in the dirt-- apparently, he had an interest in learning how to write English, as he wanted to be able to communicate without Harry needing to translate. Thus, they decided that part of each class would be dedicated to teaching Apollo such. Neville, who had taken quite a liking to the snake, decided to stay after class to interact with him more, since he had a free period while the other three had double Potions.

 

“Hold up, I can’t find my bag,” Harry said, looking around.

 

“Man, where’s a Hufflepuff when you need one?” Neville lamented.

 

Blaise looked at Neville with a befuddled expression. “Why would we need a Hufflepuff?”

 

“Because they’re good at finding things, of course.”

 

“Er. Is that it?” Draco pointed towards the edge of the forest.

 

Harry swore. A thestral had his bag, and had pulled most the items out to boot. It must have smelled the blood potion. Harry went to retrieve it, only to discover it had found the potion… and spilled it all over his potions textbook. Harry sighed in exasperation as the thestral picked up the book and walked off. He collected his other things, and he, Draco, and Blaise headed to the Potions classroom.

 

“So, how was NEWT Care of Magical Creatures?” Ron asked Harry, while they waited outside the classroom door with the other ten NEWT potions students. It seemed he’d either forgiven him for the sudden career change revelation, or was choosing to ignore it. “Or, should I say, what dangerous thing did he bring out this time?”

 

“We’re teaching a teenage runespoor how to write in English,” Blaise told him.

 

“I didn’t ask you, I asked Harry,” Ron scoffed, Blaise rolling his eyes in response. “And that’s ridiculous, anyway. What are you really doing?”

 

“Actually, that is what we’re doing,” Harry replied.

 

Hermione looked at them skeptically. “You’re teaching… a teenage runespoor… English.”

 

“Yes. We named him Apollo-- which he agreed to-- because his actual name is [unpronounceable hiss], which no one but me can pronounce. He’s extremely intelligent; he can already fully understand a large amount of English, just can’t respond in it of course, which is why he wants to learn how to write.”

 

“HE wants to learn it?” Ron asked incredulously. “As in, the snake asked you to teach him?”

 

“That’s amazing,” Hermione whispered. “I’d heard runespoors were considered sentient, but never that it was to the point that they can learn a human language...” She shook her head slowly. “I wonder how many more creatures are like that; that is, highly intelligent, yet we assume they aren’t merely because they can’t speak our language.”

 

Slughorn then arrived, ushering them in. They wouldn’t have partners this year, as they were now NEWT students, thus should be able to do things on their own, but would still be sharing tables. There were supposed to be four to each, but the five-- Harry, Ron, Hermione, Blaise, and Draco-- attempted to share one anyway; it was tight, until Hermione realized she could just enlarge the table so they could all fit comfortably. Instead of getting annoyed, Slughorn praised her for this, and allowed them to stay together.

 

“We will go straight to brewing today, no theory, so supplies and books out! Yes, Harry?” Slughorn asked, seeing his hand raised.

 

“I, er, don’t have a book. A thestral walked off with it last class.”

 

Slughorn looked perplexedly at Harry. “I’m not sure I quite heard right. Did you say a thestral took your book?”

 

“Draco and I were there too,” Blaise piped up. “A thestral really did take his book during Care of Magical Creatures. You can ask Professor Hagrid if you still don't believe us.”

 

“No, no, I believe you-- that’s the kind of situation you just can’t make up!” Slughorn laughed heartily. “Well, there’s some old books in the cupboard, I’ll get you one before we start brewing; you can borrow it until you can get a new one. Now then, class…”

 

Slughorn showed them a few potions they would be learning to brew in NEWT level potions-- veritaserum, polyjuice, and amortentia. The latter was supposed to be a love potion that smelled of things you liked, but all Harry could smell was blood. Actually… Harry sniffed again. Was that firewhiskey in there too? And he could actually distinguish two different types of blood-- one was hawk, and the other was… oh. Harry blushed and bit his lip slightly.

 

The lesson itself was actually a contest-- whomever brewed the best draught of living death would win a bottle of felix felicis, a.k.a. liquid luck. The battered potion book Harry received actually turned out to be quite useful for this-- perhaps it was lucky that the thestral had stolen his, because the previous owner, whom seemed to have deemed himself the “Half-blood Prince,” had annotated the potion with many tips and tricks that actually worked well. In the end, he managed to brew the best potion because of this, winning the tiny bottle of luck potion.

  


*******

  


“I’m sorry, Potter, but there’s no way to fit the Introductory Ancient Runes class into your schedule,” McGonagall told Harry at breakfast the next morning. “Whereas there was enough interest to create a separate section, the time slot that works best for both the professor and the other students overlaps with your Transfiguration class. However, if you still have a burning desire to learn it, Professor Bathsheda is open to arranging an independent study.”

 

“No, that’s okay, Professor,” Harry replied. She nodded and walked off. Harry stared at his plate and shuffled the food around with his fork; not a bite had entered his mouth, and the smell merely made him nauseous. Damn. He and Draco would have to teach themselves-- quite a bit of the places in the Dreamlands still used them, according to Luna, which was the real reason they wanted to learn. Luna could teach them, of course, but they didn’t want to burden her…

 

His plate became covered with a strange green-purple fog, and vanished; Harry looked up to find that he was floating in some strange space, surrounded by the fog... A mythical force seemed to envelope him… _I will impart upon you the knowledge you seek..._

 

“Harry? Earth to Harry!” Ron was waving his hand back and forth in front of Harry’s face.

 

Harry blinked, realizing he was back in the Great Hall. “Sorry. Do you need something?”

 

“Yeah, it’s time for class. You were totally zoned out there!”

 

“And you didn’t eat, either,” Hermione frowned.

 

Harry caught a glimpse of the book Hermione was looking at before she closed it, then did a double-take. That was her Ancient Runes book… and he could read the runes! Did that strange presence cause this?

 

Draco caught Harry on the way out the door. “Please tell me you experienced the strange mist thing too, and I’m not going crazy.”

 

“Yes, I did! Did it say something about imparting knowledge onto you, as well?” As Draco nodded, they were joined by Blaise, whom Harry turned towards. “Hey, do you have your runes book on you? Can I see it?”

 

“Well, yes…” Blaise ruffled through his bag, then handed the book over with a confused expression. “Why do you need it?”

 

Harry opened it up to a page heavy with runic text, and held it to Draco. “Read this.”

 

“Uh, sure. ‘Here sits Hos on the sorrow-mound; she suffers distress as Ertae had imposed it upon her, a wretched den of sorrows and of torments of mind.’... wait a second…” Draco’s eyes grew wide.

 

“I thought you didn’t know runes!” Blaise exclaimed.

 

“I didn’t! Harry, can you read them too?”

 

“I think so, though I only caught a glimpse at Hermione’s book.” Harry took the book from Draco. “Here, let me try this other passage… ‘The flood cast up the fish on the mountain-cliff; the terror-king became sad where he swam on the shingle.’ ...er. What the hell are these transcriptions, Blaise? They’re rather… disturbing.”

 

“Those are from the Franks Casket, which is one of the more important artifacts relating to runology. It’s an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon whale’s bone box covered in a bunch of transcriptions from legends with matching pictures. It’s not magical or anything; some muggle museum has it now…. but how can you two read them all of a sudden?!”

 

“Er. Divine intervention?” Harry suggested.

 

Blaise merely raised his eyebrow, giving Harry a pointed look.

 

“Actually, that’s the best explanation for what happened,” Draco backed Harry up. “There was a strange mist, and this powerful presence that said it would impart us with the knowledge we desire. It was right after Snape told me there was no way to fit it in my schedule.”

 

Blaise looked at the two, blatant amazement on his face. “That’s… wow. I’m really jealous of you right now. Who do you think it was? Azathoth?”

 

Draco shook his head. “No, this seemed different than him…”

 

“Definitely wasn’t on his level,” Harry agreed. “But close. Nyarlathotep?”

 

“No, I don’t think it was him, either,” Draco mused. “Something is telling me that we’ll never know, and shouldn’t ask.”

 

“Yeah, I get that feeling too. Let’s just accept it for what it is.”

 

“That’s it?” Blaise asked. “You’re not going to look into it at all? Seriously?”

 

“Such a divine thing would tell us what it was if it wanted us to know,” Harry told him determinately. “Trying to figure it out on our own will yield nothing.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Draco and Harry try the dream potion, Blaise walks in at the wrong moment, quidditch tryouts, Hermione and Ron meet Apollo, and Hagrid acquires a mysterious egg.


	4. Photographs, Tryouts, and an Egg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place over book chapters 10, "The House of Gaunt," and 11, "Hermione's Helping Hand."

“Harry, where did you get this information?” Hermione enquired. “It’s different from the book. Did you even do any research?” She, Ron, Harry, and Neville were in the Gryffindor common room, working on their Defense homework, which was a three-foot essay on a dark creature of their choosing-- Harry had finished his, so Hermione had taken it upon herself to check his work while he cuddled Crookshanks.

 

“What do you mean?” Harry asked, heart speeding up a bit. Crap. He had written about vampires-- as easy choice, seeing as he was one himself-- but had been going off of what he personally knew from his experience as such, forgetting the book contained some incorrect information.

 

“Well, here you say that ‘vampires, due to their sensitive sense of smell, prefer to stay away from strong scents; thus, carrying large quantities of smelly things like garlic might cause a hungry vampire to select a different victim if there are other options around.’ Yet according to the book, garlic itself is the repellant, since it is highly toxic to vampires; it has nothing to do with the strong scent merely being unpleasant. Where did you get this information?”

 

“I, er, thought I read it somewhere; must have misremembered,” Harry muttered, looking everywhere but at Hermione, as Neville snickered-- he had had such questions for Harry when he discovered the secret, thus knew all about the book’s misinformation.

 

“And here!” Hermione proclaimed. “The book says that vampires are cold to the touch, but you say that fluctuates like the heartbeat does, with it only being cold when hungry. And then you have this little tidbit: ‘Ingested substances that affect the blood, such as alcohol and drugs, will affect the vampire similarly to a human’. Where in the world did you get that information?”

 

“Well, isn’t that just logical?” Neville piped up, rescuing Harry. “I mean, if their lifeforce is tied to the blood, then anything that affects the blood will affect them, right?”

 

“Okay, yes, I suppose that does make sense, but there’s been no research done on it! You can’t just go stating claims without the research to back it up!” Hermione insisted.

 

Harry sighed. “Fine, I’ll fix things. After all, if a book says so, then it must be true; no way a book could ever be wrong.” Hermione didn’t catch the sarcasm.

 

Hermione nearly fainted when Harry got an O on the assignment despite not actually “fixing” any of the information. She accused Snape of not reading the book himself, whom proceeded to take points for her being “a fool whom is too reliant on textbooks.”

 

*******

 

“You ready, Harry?” Draco asked. It was the first Saturday evening of the school year-- earlier that night, Harry had met with Dumbledore to view a memory of the Gaunts. Harry wasn’t quite sure why Dumbledore wanted him to see that, but perhaps it had to do with whatever muggles said about knowing your enemy. Yet although it had been interesting, this now was what Harry had been looking forwards to most about that evening, for he had been waiting to do this for over a month now. The two were alone in their lounge, the rest of the castle asleep, and they had nothing to do the following day-- in other words, the perfect time to try the dream potion Luna had given them.

 

“Of course.” Harry grinned, showing his fangs-- the retainers rarely stayed on when they were alone at night. “How much do we take, though? She never told us.”

 

“Well, let’s just try a small sip to start, and we’ll time how long it lasts.” Draco poured just a tad of the potion into each of two shotglasses, and handed one to Harry.

 

“Right, makes sense,” Harry agreed. “...Bottom’s up.”

 

The two downed the potion, then cuddled up to each other on the loveseat. After about ten seconds, they began to feel sleepy, and after a minute they were fully conked out, wrapped around each other. Well, their bodies were conked out, at least; their minds, however, were quite active-- just in a different place…

 

Harry and Draco found themselves on a small jetty, with a lighthouse behind them. There they stood for a few minutes, until a massive white ship with a broken spar approached through the moonlit fog. A gangplank descended as the pair waltzed towards the ship via the moonlight which shimmered upon the water.

 

“Greetings,” said the White Ship to the boys once they boarded, through its mirage of a captain. “I have been wondering when you’d visit. Luna has been waiting; she’s gone on four trips with me since finding the potion, yet this will be the first time since Ulthar that you have been to the Dreamlands. Let us go retrieve her.”

 

The White Ship glided in silence towards a distant pier, while Harry and Draco moved to the very tip of the bow where Draco held Harry by the waist as he leaned out as far as he could, laughing, feeling the cool wind rush over him. Harry waved to Luna as she walked from the pier across the water and onto the ship.

 

“You came!” She proclaimed, a huge grin on her face, as some twinkles of yellow stars briefly danced around her. “You also looked quite adorable on the bow like that. I wish there were a picture.”

 

“That can be done,” the White Ship told them. A shimmer appeared in the air around the three, and a small photograph popped into existence, which Harry caught, an expression of disbelief upon his visage. The ship smiled. “I can make images like that from my memories, as many as desired, although you each may only take a single one back with you per dream-visit.”

 

“Really?” Luna’s eyes became saucers. “I wish I knew about that before… if it's from your memories, could I get one from a past journey?”

 

“If you desire, yes. Though remember, being from my memories, it can’t be from when you explore other lands, only the sea with me… I can also do images of landscapes passed by, or animals seen here.”

 

Luna’s eyes lit up. “May I have a photo of their kiss from the Ulthar visit?”

 

“No!” Draco proclaimed. “That is private. Although, I would enjoy a photo of it for myself…”

 

The ship chuckled. “Very well, Draco… and Luna, I think I have one you would enjoy…”

 

Two shimmers appeared in front of them, the photos born from within. Draco caught the one with the kiss, and Luna caught an underwater seascape with a myriad of unearthly fish.

 

“This is perfect,” Luna told the ship. “Thank you.” Harry and Draco also thanked the White Ship.

 

“Why, you are very welcome. Now, to which land would you like to travel tonight…?”

 

*******

 

Harry and Draco awoke early morning; not because of the potion wearing off, but because the White Ship had returned them to the pier they had left from. It seemed that, if you used the ship to travel there, your body stayed asleep until it returned you-- the drug was only needed for the initial push to get them asleep.

 

“That was amazing…” Harry muttered, still curled up against Draco.

 

“I agree. Let’s go back soon.” Draco smiled at Harry as he began weaving his hand through his boyfriend's dark hair.

 

Harry nuzzled into Draco’s neck. “You smell nice…”

 

Draco chuckled. “Me, or my blood?”

 

“Aren’t they the same?” Harry teased. “Mmm… I smelled it when we were shown the amortentia in potions class, you know.”

 

Draco blushed. “I smelled you in it, too…” His voice then took on a teasing tone. “Hmm, let me guess, your others were hawk blood and firewhiskey?”

 

“Am I really that predictable?” Harry chuckled. “What were your others?”

 

“Red wine and the forest. Much more dignified, don’t you think?”

 

“You can’t smell the entire forest; it’s a bunch of different scents.”

 

“True, but all those scents blend together to make a distinct singular one; there’s the trees, the wet soil, the-- ah!” Draco let out a gasp and held tight to Harry’s hair as Harry sunk his teeth deep into the flesh of his boyfriend’s neck, causing Draco to melt into Harry with the bliss it brought.

 

He stayed there for a moment, fangs still in the neck, briefly teasing, before pulling out slightly and sucking hard on the wound, eliciting a deep moan from Draco. Harry could feel the other vampire’s heart throbbing, quickening slightly as his arousal grew. Harry moved his hand down to rest on the distinct bulge in the crotch of Draco’s pants, and Draco gasped audibly, arching his hips forwards slightly in response.

 

The lounge door slid open, revealing Blaise, who stopped mid-step upon stepping into the room. The two vampires froze where they were, staring at him and he at them. After what must have been a full minute, Harry slowly slid his fangs out of Draco’s neck, and the two sat up straight on the sofa, faces as red as apples.

 

“Er. Hello,” Harry greeted Blaise, unsure of what else to say, as his brain felt like it’d been hit with a stun charm.

 

“Hello,” Blaise drawled in reply, with the expression of a cat who had just cornered a mouse. A little wave of blue wiggled by. “Well. I knew there’s been something different about you two over the past year; guess I now know what it is.”

 

“Guess you do,” confirmed Draco, trying to sound casual about it, before abruptly changing the subject. “So, er, why are you here so early again?”

 

Blaise frowned at that. “Early? It’s fifteen after ten! Which is fifteen minutes later than you told us to be at the quidditch pitch for tryouts! Not a great first impression for a team captain.”

 

“Fifteen past…” Draco took a moment to process this. “Bloody Merlin! I completely forgot!” He moved to dash out the door, but Blaise caught him by the arm before he could. “What? I need to get there!”

 

“With blood on your neck and fangs visible?” Blaise sneered. “Are you going for worst first impression possible?”

 

“Sh-shut up! Harry, get over here and clean this up!”

 

“So demanding…” Harry waltzed over and seductively licked up the blood.

 

Blaise watched this with raised eyebrows. “Okay, as much as I love you two, perhaps you could refrain from doing that in front of me? I understand blood’s kinda your thing, but it’s still a bit disconcerting to us humans, you know?”

 

The two blushed again. “Sorry,” Harry told him. “I forgot.”

 

“Right... anyway, Harry, you need to be at the pitch soon, too-- didn’t you schedule your tryouts for after ours? Or did you forget that as well?”

 

Harry blushed. “Er. Yeah. Guess so. Let’s go…”

 

*******

 

Quidditch tryouts were interesting, to say the least. Quite a few people from both houses were annoyed that the captain of the other house team was there for their tryouts, claiming it was suspicious and that they were trying to rig things as they gave each other advice on the players.

 

Slytherin’s tryouts took barely any time, having only a handful of people vying for the two open chaser positions. Blaise, who hadn’t really wanted to try out initially but Harry and Draco convinced to, ended up being a brilliant flyer, therefore instantly made the cut. The other chaser Draco chose was some boy neither Harry nor Draco had ever seen around before, but he never missed a goal-- some shots were so miraculous that they tested the ball for traces of spells after the boy tried out, just in case he had done something to it.

 

Harry, however, needed to replace most the team, and due to the remaining positions being mixed up from the previous year’s bans had decided to hold tryouts for all positions other than seeker, at the insistence of the only returning chaser, Katie Bell. The number of people who showed up for it was astounding, and Harry’s patience was tested tenfold-- people from other houses attempted to try out, tantrums were thrown by rejectees, fights broke out… Harry had a new appreciation for Wood and Angelina, knowing that they must have dealt with the same frustrations. There was also an incident where Draco’s cat, Selardi, tried to use a broom as a scratching post, upon which it flew off with the kitten-- thankfully Ginny, who was already in the air ready to begin her chaser tryout, managed to quickly catch her. The chasers chosen were: Katie, the only one left from Harry’s first-year team; Ginny, who out-flew everyone; and Dean-- it had been a close call between him and a girl named Demelza, but Draco pointed out that Dean seemed to get along really well with the other chasers already, particularly Ginny, so it’d be easier for them to sync well with each other on the field. The beaters chosen were thankfully not as bad as the ones from the prior year, whom had tried out again yet somehow managed to simultaneously knock each other out with their bats while trying to hit the same bludger, which they missed. Ron managed to block every goal, thus retained his keeper position; Harry ignored the fact that someone-- possibly Hermione, who had been watching intently-- had clearly confounded McLaggen, whom had blocked all goals but the final one, as he had dashed in the wrong direction in confuzzlement. Harry’s decision was only strengthened when the broad boy came close to attacking when informed he hadn’t made the cut-- Harry hissed in defense instinctually, which luckily caused enough disconcertment in the boy to back off.

 

Finally, after many hours, the tryouts ended. Harry, Draco, Ron, and Blaise, along with Hermione, left the pitch and headed over to visit Hagrid. Ginny left hand-in-hand with Dean-- ah, so, that’s what Draco had meant when he said Dean seemed to get along particularly well with Ginny. Harry hoped they didn’t break up, though, as infighting would surely be bad for the team.

 

As they approached Hagrid’s hut, the runespoor Apollo greeted the pentad and Selardi-- the cat had taken to following Draco around almost everywhere. The  snake had been given free range, as he was intelligent enough to understand not to harm people and understood he needed to stay close to the hut or forest as to not scare students. He only had two heads now, as on the second day of class the rightmost one had been bitten off by the others-- a common occurrence among runespoors, as that one is the head that criticises everything. Essentially, that head had been complaining about their progress learning writing, as well as the fact that the middle head was daydreaming the entire time rather than working, which annoyed the other two heads enough to become violent. Hagrid had shrugged it off, saying that runespoors tended to be happier and more relaxed without that pessimistic third head anyway, with the only risk being that they had less impulse control after-- which, honestly, Apollo hadn’t had much of prior, since the other two heads had usually ignored that right-sided critical one anyway, which could do nothing about what they were doing but complain because the left head was the one who made decisions, including where and when to move.

 

<Hello>, Apollo wrote in the dirt, while the center head-- well, right head now-- gazed at the group. <My name is Apollo>.

 

“Hello,” Hermione greeted it, smiling as though one would to a child. “Harry has told us much about you. I’m Hermione, and this is Ron.” Ron gave a tepid wave.

 

The snake thought about this, wiped away the first word, then drew a smiling face while hissing a little at Harry.

 

“He says he is happy to meet you, and that any friends of his friends are his too.”

 

Apollo suddenly dashed away, meeting them when they reached the hut, holding a crayon picture in one mouth. “ _I drew a picture_ ,” he hissed excitedly. The picture was childish, with a snake and a large ball-like person surrounded by 4 smaller ovaloid people. The people all consisted of circles and simple lines-- Other than Hagrid, of whom clearly was represented by the very large circle person with a brown lion’s mane, and Blaise, whose hand and face circles had been colored in brown, you could only tell who was who by hair color. Each person’s body was colored a different color, in what could be assumed was a representation of clothing-- Hagrid brown, Harry green, Neville blue, Blaise red, and Draco purple.

 

“Oh! That’s very good!” Hermione told the snake. “You drew that all by yourself?” She received a nod from the snake in reply.

 

“Yes, that is quite amazing,” Draco complained. “But, why am I colored purple? That completely clashes with my hair!”

 

Apollo hissed with what was clearly meant to be a laugh. “ _You humans and your strange color laws. I think purple would be perfect for you._ ” He drew in the dirt with his tail: <I like. You wer when see agan?>

 

“... I’ll think about it. By the way, you spelled ‘wear’ and ‘again’ incorrectly. Here…” Draco bent down to show the snake the proper spelling.

 

“Ron! ‘Ermione!” Hagrid had arrived. “I ‘aven’t seen yeh since las’ year! ‘Ow have yeh been? It’s a shame ‘ow yeh can’t fit meh class in; I kno’ yeh always liked it. Yeh’re missin’ out on some great creatures!”

 

“Er, yeah, too bad,” Ron agreed inearnestly, eying the snake. It looked to Harry as though some red-orange light circled Ron briefly. “Really going to regret not being able to teach snakes english.”

 

“Well, yeh can always stop by an’ ‘elp out anyway! I’m sure he’d like that!” Hagrid beamed at them, and the snake hissed in happy agreement.

 

“Can we?” Hermione asked excitedly. “That would be wonderful! It’s fascinating how intelligent he is. I’m considering expanding SPEW, or creating an offshoot of it, to represent more than just elves. I mean, runespoors can’t be the only magical creature out there with human intelligence that wizards treat poorly merely due to an inability to communicate-- it’d be good to figure out what others there are, and find ways to understand them and protect them. The wizarding world needs to know about this!”

 

“Wow,” Blaise commented, impressed. “With that kind of ambition, I’m surprised you’re not in Slytherin! Then again, I suppose it does take plenty of courage to advocate for something so difficult to change…”

 

Ron glowered at Blaise, probably for him suggesting the mere possibility of Hermione being Slytherin material. “Hermione, isn’t that a little too much?” he asked. “You don’t want to get in over your head.”

 

“I’m not! This is a very important cause. If I don’t bring attention to it, who will?”

 

“I agree,” Harry told her. “I’ll help, if you want. But perhaps this can wait until we graduate? After all, we do have NEWT level classes…”

 

Hermione sighed. “That’s true. I guess it’ll have to. But thanks for offering to help; I will definitely take you up on that!” She leapt forwards and hugged him.

 

“I’d also like to help,” Draco told her, causing her to jump over and hug him too.

 

“Hey! What do you care, Malfoy?” Ron bristled.

 

“What, jealous?” Draco teased. “And, for your information, I do care. It’s a subject close to me, you could say.”

 

“Close to you? Yeah, right. What are you getting out of it, huh?”

 

“Believe it or not, Ron, Draco isn’t the heartless bastard you seem to think he is!” Hermione snapped. “Yeah, he was pretty mean in the past, but he’s changed! People change! He’s been proving that for a year already!”

 

“So, Hagrid, how’s your brother?” Draco asked loudly, trying to divert the argument… and failing miserably.

 

*******

 

“That better not be another dragon egg!” Harry proclaimed, a week later in Care of Magical Creatures class, referring to the gigantic egg on the table in Hagrid’s hut.

 

“Another?!” Blaise proclaimed. “You’ve had dragon eggs in here before?!”

 

“Well, yeah, but this ain’ a dragon egg this time!” Hagrid defended. “Well, I don’ thin’ so, at least...”

 

“You don’t think so?” Draco raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling us you don’t know what it is?”

 

Harry sighed. “Let me guess, you got it from a shady guy at the Hog’s Head again. Did he trick you into telling him secrets again, too?”

 

“No! I didn’ say anythin’ abou’ anythin’. It was a fair trade: the bitten-off runespoor ‘ead fer the egg. They said it’s from North America, though they weren’ sure either wha’ it is, but I kno’ a powerful magic creature egg when I see ‘em! Look ‘here, if yeh touch it, it even gives a spark of magic.”

 

“Hagrid, that’s not magic, it’s electricity,” Harry explained. “You know, like lightning.”

 

“Lightning?” Blaise mused. “Wasn’t there something about a bird like that in our books…?”

 

Draco, meanwhile, had been repeatedly poking the egg, and had stars in his eyes. “We’ve been learning about electricity in Muggle studies,” he commented. “I can’t believe that muggles can control something like this!”

 

“Muggles control lightning?” Neville asked, in awe. “But how?”

 

“Alrigh’, back on topic,” Hagrid scolded. “I’m goin’ teh have yeh care fer this egg an’ raise wha’ever it is as part o’ yer studies!”

 

“You want us to care for an unknown creature?” Blaise asked. “That’s mad! We can’t care for something when we don't know what it is!”

 

“He has a point,” Harry agreed. “For all we know, it could be a snallygaster!”

 

“An’ what’s wrong with that?” Hagrid asked belligerently. Right, Harry was talking to a man who tried to raise a dragon-- a snallygaster would probably be the best case scenario in his mind. “When it hatches, yeh will kno’ wha’ it is, an’ then can do research an’ raise it.”

 

“Speaking of that…” Draco signaled them, “I think it’s hatching now.”

 

Everyone gathered around the table to watch as a little yellow-ochre beak poked out of the shell, many small cracks appearing beside it. The beak vanished, then popped out again, a little bit aways, with the same result. It took a mere twenty minutes-- well, it was a magical beast, after all, so such a short time was not unexpected-- until a large portion of the shell broke off, revealing a damp raven-sized baby bird, fully feathered. It spread its impressive-sized wings out and stood on two firm legs matching its beak color, and shook, sparks flying across the feathers, drying itself. The feather coloration was a uniform swirling of midnight blue and dark to light greys, with some flecks of black and white mixed in-- the overall effect of such made it look like a stormcloud. The bird peered around at them, then opened its beak to let out a brief deafening screech that sounded like a high-pitched thunderclap, causing everyone to leap back in surprise.

 

“Loud little bugger,” Draco complained, massaging his ears.

 

“That’s a thunderbird, isn’t it?” Neville asked nervously. “I heard no one’s ever been able to obtain an egg, as they aggressively protect them, and can’t be tamed…”

 

“Well, it seems we’re meant to be the first, then,” Harry acknowledged, realizing that ‘untamable’ would not deter Hagrid one bit. “’Sides, they c’n be tamed; yeh jus’ need teh gain it’s trust, like wi’ a phoenix.”

 

“You realize how amazing this is, right?” Blaise asked. “Very few people have ever encountered a Thunderbird, let alone a baby. They’re as rare as phoenii! We need a photo of this.”

 

“I’ll ask Colin to borrow his, then,” Harry decided, reminding himself to get his own in the future. “I’d like a photo of Apollo as well.”

 

“Wait a second.” Draco looked mortified. “Don’t these things eat snakes? Apollo is in danger!”

 

“No, pretty sure they only eat the horned variety,” Blaise consoled him. “Whales, too, maybe?”

 

“I really don’t think this one is going to eat any whales, at least not at this size,” Blaise pointed out. “Though at full-grown, maybe.”

 

“How big do they get?” Harry asked. “If this is the baby…”

 

“Somewhere between two and three meters,” Blaise answered. “That’s a wide range, I know, but like I said, few people have encountered one up-close. The summary in our books said barely anything about them.”

 

“Yeah, it looks like you’ve said nearly all the books knows, save for the fact that it's extremely sensitive to supernatural danger,” Neville confirmed-- he had taken out his copy of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, and turned it to show the others the illustration and small paragraph. “From the photo, this definitely is one.”

 

“Well, maybe we should go to the library, then,” Harry suggested, turning to look at the bird.

 

The bird’s gaze became piercing as it locked eyes with Harry, and it let out another ear-piercing screech. The eyes, formerly black, were now glowing a blue-white-- a small bolt of lightning shot out, directly at Harry; he heard multiple people scream as the world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Will Harry be okay after that shock?  
> Also, Hogsmeade!


	5. Hogsmeade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during book chapter 12, "Silver and Opals."

Harry opened his eyes, blinking in the harsh white light. It appeared he was in the hospital wing. Neville was with him. “How long was I out?” He asked groggily, sitting up, cringing as a brief tingling sensation washed over him.

“Harry! You’re awake!” Neville cheered. “It hasn’t been too long; barely an hour, actually. The others had to go to class; Hagrid is figuring out what to do with the thunderbird. He still wants us to raise it, says it shooting the lightning was a fluke, it was just born so didn’t know what it was doing… you know, I sometimes think that if a magical beast killed someone, Hagrid would still defend it...”

Harry laughed. “I wouldn’t put it past him! Ugh, I feel sore all over.”

“Did you say lightning?” Madam Pomfrey gasped, joining them. She looked pointedly at Neville. “You all told me that he was struck by a misspoken stunning spell! Being struck by lightning is entirely different!”

“Well, we didn’t want people to know…” Neville muttered.

“You should be well aware that healer-patient confidentiality applies here; there’s no reason to hide anything!” she scolded. “Proper identification of what happened can make all the difference in whether healing is effective or not! I assume it was magical lightning, as there’s no storm?”

“Yes,” Harry told her. “It was from a baby thunderbird…”

Madam Pomfrey frowned. “A baby thunderbird? Here? How in the world… ah. Hagrid, I presume?”

“Raising it is one of our major projects for Care of Magical Creatures. That, and teaching a runespoor English.”

Madam Pomfrey slowly shook her head, and Harry noticed a few little light blue ovals moving down her. “I really must have a talk with Hagrid over proper choices of creatures to work with… Anyway, you’re essentially fine, thanks to…” she glanced at Neville.

“Don’t worry, he knows.”

“Right. Like I was saying, you’ll be fine, thanks to the vampire healing abilities, albeit probably will have a slight feeling of numbness for a few days. A human could be out for a day after that. Do be careful when handling the bird; I’d suggest using some protective charms or equipment beforehand.”

 

*******

 

It was now mid-October, and the morning of the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. Harry wasn’t sure how the past month managed to fly by so quickly, though it probably had something to do with the sheer amount of work in all their classes, including continuing to have extra ones with Snape. He was now teaching Harry and Draco to lie without anyone suspecting, which he had to do all the time in his work for the Order-- not even Voldemort, who was quite skilled at lie detection, suspected Snape of being a spy. This would prove useful if they ever got captured and interrogated. They had to refine not only their emotional control and occlumency for it, but also be highly aware of their voice and body in order to prevent any ‘tells’-- the most common being avoiding eye contact. Harry was an excellent liar already-- although that probably wasn’t something to brag about-- but a problem arose in the fact he got too defensive of the lie whenever someone expressed doubt, and verged on panicking when being defensive didn’t work. Care of Magical Creatures was also proving unexpectedly to be a lot of work-- they had to find time every day to stop by to feed their young runespoor and thunderbird, doing so on a rotating basis, as Hagrid insisted they do the work almost entirely themselves, his logic being that when they eventually had a creature of their own, they’d need to learn to make extra time for the care rather than only seeing it every few days in class. Luckily, they were creatures that didn’t also have pens to muck out, nor required baths. The thunderbird had bonded quickly to Neville, Blaise, and Hagrid, but not Harry and Draco, for some reason. In fact, it downright hated Harry. Neville had suggested it might be due to their species, as thunderbirds were very suspicious creatures that tended to dislike anything particularly dangerous, which vampires could be-- well, actually, undeniably were-- classified as; Harry supposed that made sense. Perhaps it had even seen him attack and eat a large bird at some point, as those were his favorites-- usually when hunting he ended up with a grouse, vulture or crow, as those were more common and easier to catch, but sometimes he’d get a bird of prey such as a harrier, eagle-- which had been the avian flavor of bean they couldn’t recognize-- or, his particular favorite, a hawk. Draco tended to stick with small mammals like rabbits, squirrels, weasels, badgers, and similar, which is what the thunderbird also ate. He would catch a bunch when they went hunting, and store them in a freezer Hagrid had, to feed the bird-- it refused to venture further than the edge of the forest, due to both its suspicious nature of the creatures found within and being instinctually more comfortable with open spaces like plains and mountain-tops. And of course, there had been a few more Dreamlands visits-- a few a week, actually. Most were shorter, but on occasion one would cause them to wake up later than intended. There also hadn’t yet been any more lessons with Dumbledore-- in fact, the eldery man had been conspicuously absent lately, very rarely being there at meals. Harry wondered if he was off doing Order work, or something akin to such.

“Harry, you’re not eating, again,” Hermione pointed out exasperatedly. It was breakfast, and Harry was, as usual, merely swirling his food around while lost in thought.

“I’m not very hungry,” he muttered. ‘Besides, I’ll just throw it up in a bit anyway,’ he thought dejectedly. The food-nausea had only gotten worse. He had confided this to Draco and Snape, but they were just as baffled as he was as to the reason, and Madam Pomfrey hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary when she had checked up on him.

“That’s what you said both last night and yesterday morning.”

“Did I?” Harry asked. “Well, I’ll just eat with Draco at Hogsmeade later, no big deal.”

“Wait, I thought you were going with us!” Ron interjected offendedly, ‘us’ meaning he, Hermione, and Neville. It seemed to Harry as though some red sparks flew from him.

Harry sighed. “Yes, Ron, I am, but just in the morning; I explained this to you last night. After being with you, Neville and I are meeting Blaise, Draco, and Luna while you and Hermione spend time together. It would be so much simpler if you’d just be willing to meet with Draco and Blaise, too-- the offer is still open, you know.”

“Harry’s right,” Hermione pointed out. “You're forcing your friends to choose between each other for no logical reason. Harry, Neville, and Luna are all close friends with Blaise and Draco; the least you can do is tolerate them.”

“I do! We sit together in Potions, and next to them in Defense!”

“That’s not exactly the same thing as being together during free time.”

“We’ve visited Hagrid together before, too. That’s plenty!”

Hermione and Ron continued bickering as they headed out of the Great Hall. Ginny popped over and handed Harry a scroll with news of another lesson with Dumbledore-- they invited her and Dean, whom she’d told them earlier she'd be going with, to go along with them to Hogsmeade, but she wanted to spend alone time with Dean, as it was difficult for them to have free time together during the week since being in separate years gave them few overlapping breaks. Neville joined them as they left the castle.

Filch’s inspection for dark items on the way out required intervention by Snape, who luckily happened to be walking by-- apparently the secrecy-sensor, made to detect dark objects, categorized vampires themselves as such. Harry swore he was about to be strip-searched due to it, which would subsequently cause him to be outed as a vampire, and was on the verge of panic, when Snape luckily came by and declared the sensor seemed to be broken, making them wait while he retrieved a new one from Dumbledore that had been programmed to discount creatures.

Finally, they were permitted to leave the gates, and began the trek to the village. Harry was absolutely ecstatic to be in Hogsmeade with his friends again-- he had been banned from the school visits most of last year, after all. The others, however, didn’t quite seem to be quite as enthusiastic, to Harry’s sight confusion, until he realized they were huddled against the raging wind, scarves covering their half-frozen faces. Harry quickly did the same-- luckily, he had remembered to wear one this time, paying close attention to what everyone else had worn that morning. He still had forgotten gloves, though; it was tough to know what kind of clothes to wear when you couldn’t feel temperature much.

Finally arriving at Hogsmeade, they noted, sadly, that Zonko’s joke shop was now closed, but luckily Honeydukes was still there. Entering the shop, they discovered Slughorn was on his way out; he tried to invite Harry to another party, but luckily it was during his next meeting with Dumbledore. Most he’d been avoiding by scheduling quidditch practice during them, but if he used that excuse too much, Slughorn might get suspicious. Harry didn’t want to go when he knew three of his friends-- Ron, Draco, and Luna-- would be left out, after all. Hermione, Neville, and Blaise weren’t lucky enough to have excuses though, so were forced to go to them all. Harry had wondered if Ginny might be annoyed she had to miss it when he used quidditch to get out of it, but she told him not to worry, as quidditch was better anyway.

Hermione and Ron rolled their eyes at Harry enthusiastically grabbing some blood-flavored lollies again, whereas Neville merely snickered knowingly. Harry then spied that there was blood-flavored beans there, too; he grabbed a bag of those, too, curious as to if they were comparable to the ones from Cleo’s. Probably not, as the blood lollies weren’t, but worth a shot. He grabbed some chocolates, sugar quills, and every-flavor beans too, to cover up only wanting the blood things-- he’d give them to Neville, Blaise, and Luna later.

Harry opened the blood-flavored beans as they left, and popped one in his mouth. He made a face.

“Not bloody enough for you?” Neville teased.

“They’re as close to the proper taste as grape-flavoring is to actual grapes.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “And you’d know the actual taste of blood how?”

“You know it, too,” Neville pointed out. “Or have you never eaten rare steak or black pudding?”

Hermione frowned. “I guess that’s true… it’s just a little odd, Harry, that you seem to have such a strong taste for it...”

“Yeah, well-- hey, look, it’s Mundungus! What are you doing here?” Harry asked amicably, welcoming the distraction, though only for a moment.

Mundungus jumped in surprise, dropping the trunk he held, spilling items all over, then scrambled to pick them up, refusing their help. He seemed to have a line of orange swirl around him. Ron then noticed exactly what those items were-- things from Sirius’s house, obvious from the family crest upon them. No wonder they kept running out of dishes, silverware, and glasses when at his place-- half of it was here!

Harry was on him in an instant, pinning the thief against the nearby wall by the throat, growling at him threateningly. His friends were calling to him to stop, but he ignored this. “How dare you steal his things,” Harry hissed venomously.

Mundungus opened and closed his mouth, saying nothing, as his face was blue from lack of air. Harry merely glared and pressed harder. “You’re lucky I don’t tear your throat out,” Harry growled in the man’s ear.

Harry yelped as a jolt of pain shot through him, causing him to drop Mundungus, who was now unconscious. What was that? The cruciatus curse? But who had cast it? Harry swirled around, looking for the culprit.

“Relax, lad, it’s just me,” Mad-eye told him. “You’re lucky I’m stationed here today, and not someone else. Now, what did the thieving bastard do that warrants nearly killing him?”

Harry closed his eyes, willing himself calmer, as he’d learned via Snape’s lessons. “He’s been stealing from Order headquarters. Sirius’s things… look, there’s all the missing dining stuff,” Harry gestured to the things still strewn on the ground.

“Aye, so it is. Though that’s not really something to kill over, is it, now?”

“Er. No, I guess not,” Harry conceded. “Sorry, won’t happen again…”

“It better not. Well, I’ll take him, then, and have a nice chat with him when he wakes, I recon…” He waved his wand, which put the items back and closed the trunk, and lifted it up. “I’ll bring these back too. Be sure not to kill him if this happens again-- you’re supposed to be keeping a lid on that anger, if I recall.” He apparated away with Mundungus and the items.

Hermione directed them out of the cold and into the Three Broomsticks. Neither she nor the other two mentioned the incident; Harry could smell that they were a little shaken up from it, despite trying not to show it-- he wondered just how much of the vampire he had let through, as the memory was fairly blurry. They chatted about largely mundane topics as Hermione got annoyed at Ron’s repeated glances towards the bartender, whom he fancied. A lot of it involved Neville talking about Herbology.

“Heyyy, boyfriend!” Someone wrapped their arms around Harry’s shoulders from behind.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Blaise, you’re not my boyfriend.”

“Nor ever will be,” Draco added cooly. He knew Blaise was only joking, but jealousy knows no bounds.

“Pfft, fine, you’re no fun.” Blaise unlatched himself from Harry.

Neville chuckled. “Blaise, are you high, by any chance?”

“...No.”

Draco let out a chuckle.

“Okay, fine, maybe I am…” Blaise admitted.

“Come on, Harry, time for our lunch date,” Draco told him, pulling him to stand.

“I am high, too,” Luna told them, acting no different than usual. “Neville, Harry, we have some for you, too. And I’m sure there’s plenty for you two as well,” she gestured to Ron and Hermione.

Ron’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Ah, actually, we’re heading back to the castle now, let’s go, Ron,” Hermione said quickly, pulling the disappointed redhead away.

Blaise laughed. “Told you that would work!”

“Yes, it was a good plan,” Luna agreed.

“You’re not actually high, are you?” Harry asked, amusedly.

Draco laughed. “No, they aren’t. It was a ploy they created to get those two to leave-- honestly, I didn’t expect it to work.”

“Why’d you want them to leave?” Harry asked. 

“Because I’m taking you on a lunch date, remember? We all know how much the weasel would abhor the mere thought.”

Harry sighed. “I thought I told you to stop calling him that?”

“I did, for a while-- yet he didn’t stop with ferret. So now it’s on him; if he stops, I’ll stop.”

“...I guess you have a point. Okay, let's go.”

“So, where are you going for lunch, anyway?” Blaise wondered, as they turned to go. “Anyplace interesting?”

Draco chuckled. “For us, yes. You? Might end up running out in terror with one glance at the menu.”

“Well, I don’t know, Draco, maybe they would like it,” Harry said with a teasing smile. “They do have some excellent bat-blood tea.”

Neville paled. “Bat-blood… tea? You don’t mean actual blood, do you?”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Neville, you do remember what we are, correct?”

Neville blushed. “R-right. Well, er, enjoy your lunch, then,” he said, as the others joined him at the table.

“I would like to try some tea,” Luna told them seriously, earning her stares from all four. Was she joking, or actually serious?

Harry recovered first. “Er, Luna, it’s actually a creature-only pub; humans are actually not permitted at all.”

“But the centaurs recognized me as not fully human, remember?”

“Luna,” Blaise interrupted. “Whether or not the place would let you in, I believe those two want some time alone together, as it is a date.”

“Oh. Right, that’s true… but the tea…”

“Luna, we’ll take you there some other time,” Harry promised, which seemed to console the girl.

“Hey, Harry, snap out of it,” Draco called, shaking his shoulder. “You’re zoning out again.”

Harry blinked and looked around. “Where did the others go?”

“They’re still inside… we left after Neville awkwardly realized we weren’t going to a human-friendly place…” As Draco said this, Harry noticed some little grey fuzzballs flitter briefly above Draco. 

“You have some wrackspurts,” Harry commented.

Draco gaped at Harry. “Are you okay? You’re sounding like Luna.”

“Well, they are real things; you saw them too.”

“Yeah, while under the influence… which is the only way to see auras, unless you’re part god, like Luna.”

“Yeah, yeah. I was just joking, Draco.”

Draco ignored that last remark; he was pretty sure Harry was not joking. “So, back to what just happened. Did you black out? What’s the last thing you remember?”

Harry frowned; should he say anything? Yes, probably, as it was Draco asking… Harry was quiet for a moment, then began speaking in a mumble, looking at the ground. “I thought we were talking to Luna… after Neville realized that…”

Draco looked at Harry with a large amount of visible concern-- that is, actually visible to Harry, in the form of swirling orange. “You mean, you were hallucinating?”

“I dunno. I guess I must have been…”

“Has this happened before?”

Harry said nothing.

“Harry? Please, tell me,” Draco requested softly.

“I don’t know. Maybe? Umless interrupted like this, how can I tell?”

Draco nodded, taking Harry’s hand in his and squeezing it gently. With that, the two headed down the street. Harry was glad he didn’t have to fake bracing against the bitter wind, as he had to do with his other friends, as they sauntered down the streets towards Mindy’s. He grabbed an amused Draco’s hand as they walked; Harry had a slight spring in his step, overjoyed that the day was going so well-- the cloudy weather was perfect, he was finally allowed back at Hogsmeade, he was on his way to his favorite pub with his favorite person…

“Oh, Draco, I have an idea!” Harry exclaimed, halfway there.

“Yes, my love?” Draco chuckled. He was really enjoying how joyful his boyfriend was at the moment-- it was, sadly, a rarity: no matter how much Harry tried to appear fine to others, Draco knew that it was often merely a ploy. Not today, though-- Harry seemed genuinely happy, even in light of that recent discussion about him hallucinating earlier.

“Let’s run!” Harry dashed forwards.

Draco lunged and grabbed Harry’s wrist. “Hey. I know you’re excited, but we are in a human town!” He reminded Harry. “This street has no one, but the next one may. Calm down a little. Or do you want to draw attention to yourself?”

Harry halted, and blushed a bit. “I, er, don’t know what came over me, sorry…”

“No need to apologize for being happy,” Draco told him, pulling him close and leaning down for a quick kiss, causing Harry to blush even deeper. “I’m quite enjoying this hyperactive Harry, actually. Now, let’s get to Mindy’s.” He laced Harry’s arm with his, and they continued walking.

They reached Mindy’s, removed their retainers and contacts, and nodded to the bouncer as they entered. As before, there were very few there-- a pair of dog-eared people at a table sharing some sort of float, a trio of giggling female faun children lounging on a copse of couches in the corner, and of course, Mindy, who waived to them as they sat down at the bar.

“Hello, boys. What’ll it be? Bat-blood tea, as usual?” Mindy asked. The two nodded in confirmation.

“Shiki’s not here today?” Harry glanced around.

“What, I’m not interesting enough for you?” Mindy teased as she prepared their drinks, eliciting a blush from Harry, before further explaining. “Right now, she’s actually in Japan, visiting family.”

“Wow. That’s a long way to go,” Draco acknowledged. “Do they ever come here?”

Mindy frowned sadly. “Unfortunately, no. Her family is fairly large, and British wizarding law is really strict when it comes to creatures entering and leaving their borders. One demon entering is fine, but seven at once? It’ll take days to get the proper clearance, if they even give it; you’d have an easier time of it sneaking in.”

“And it’s easier in Japan?” Draco asked, as Mindy handed them the drinks.

“Yes. The Japanese magical community has a very close relationship with magical creatures. Some types are even highly revered, with human wizards itching to befriend them, and they have some representation on the wizarding council there, too. It’s an entirely different environment than here; Shiki got quite a shock when she first came here, as she was a representative sent by a business she worked for, and the client refused to speak with her! It’s how we met, actually-- she came in here afterwards for a drink, and then we got talking, and it just took off from there.”

Draco, slightly confused, wondered, “Didn’t they know about the temperament towards creatures here when they sent her?”

“That was many years ago,” Mindy told him. “Relations weren’t great between the two countries for a long while, and it was just when things became friendlier, so they had no idea… anyway, do you want any food to go with those drinks?”

Draco and Harry drank in cheerful silence while they waited for Mindy to return with some snacks. They had ordered an appetizer sampler of blood-related items: ‘blood-cheese dip,’ ‘bloody bone bites,’ ‘fried blood,’ and blood pudding. Harry found it a little ironic how many humans touted blood as gross, then happily ate things like rare meat and blood pudding-- they did realize what they were eating, right? Mindy returned, just as they finished the drinks, which she replaced for them-- Draco switching to wine, Harry continuing with the cocktail-- and the two dug in. A little bit later, after their drinks had been replaced once again, the door jangled, someone walking in.

“Finally!” Mindy declared. “I was wondering when you’d show up, Remus; my nieces are getting impatient over there.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m on time,” Lupin told her, glancing at the clock behind the bar as he walked behind the bar.

Mindy chuckled. “I know, I’m teasing. They just got here early. Thanks so much for coming in today!”

“Of course. Looking forwards to the amusement park with the triplets?”

Mindy rolled her eyes. “I wish. I love them, but taking three 8-year-olds to an amusement park has to be a special kind of hell.”

It was then Lupin noticed Harry and Draco at the bar, both staring at him. He blinked at the unexpected sight. “Harry? Draco? What are you doing here?”

“It’s a Hogsmeade weekend,” Harry explained. “So we’re on a date.”

Lupin did not miss the fact that they were subtly trying to hide the contents of their glasses. He sniffed. “Are you drinking? Aren’t you underage?” he accused.

Draco and Harry looked worriedly at each other, unsure how to respond. Luckily, Mindy did so for them: “Remus, you know we don’t adhere to such wizarding laws here. Everyone is welcome to drink if they wish to, as age and maturity have little to do with each other, especially when it comes to many of the various non-humans we serve.”

Lupin sighed. “I know. It’s just, Harry is Sirius’s godson, you know. I knew him as a baby, taught him at school, and see him every holiday and summer break now. I suppose I’m a little overprotective...”

Mindy glanced towards the three young fauns, who were trying to build a tower of wine glasses. “Well, I suppose I can understand that… anyway, I should get going now, before they destroy something. Hallie! Danni! Louise! Time to go!” She called, heading out the door, the three giggling girls following.

Lupin leaned on the bar, eyeing the bloody mess on the appetizer plate. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you being vampires,” he admitted. “Sirius revels in it for some reason, always hunting things for you… he did that with me, too, as a kid, always thinking it was so cool that I was part-wolf. But there’s so much pain in it, with the way wizards treat creatures… it saddens me when I see you like this, as I can’t help but remember my own pain, how I had to hide what I was while at Hogwarts as you have to now.”

Draco put his hand on Lupin’s arm. “It’s okay. We understand.”

Harry frowned. “Why do wizards here treat non-humans and part-humans so horribly, anyway? Mindy was telling us earlier that in Japan, they hold respect for many, even desire their friendship and allow them in government.”

Lupin shrugged sadly. “Different cultures, I suppose. Just like wizarding society and muggle society view things very differently-- like your relationship, for example-- so do different cultures. Why such prejudices arose has been lost to time, but hopefully with more time, a culture towards creatures closer to Japan’s can arise here, as well.”

Harry sighed. “That’s going to take a very long time…” He took a large gulp of his drink.

“Well, we do have a long time to work on it,” Draco ruminated. “Eternity, technically.”

“If we survive that long,” Harry muttered morbidly. “Er. Can I get another drink?” He asked, sheepishly pushing his glass across the bar. His face was quite flushed.

Lupin looked at Harry, appearing conflicted. “How many have you had?”

“Does it matter?”

“Well, yes; I may be obligated to serve you regardless of age, but if you’ve had too many, I am also obligated to cut you off, regardless of age.”

“I’m not drunk. ‘Sides, Sirius would let me have it.”

“I know he would. Which, as always, I highly disapprove of.”

“Whatever. Just get me another,” Harry demanded. “Please,” he added thoughtfully.

“Harry, I think you actually have had enough,” Draco told him, placing his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Your face is red and you’re starting to slur a little. That was your third this hour, and there are four or so shots apiece in those.” 

“So?” Harry pouted. “We have more than this all the time.”

Lupin narrowed his eyes. “And just what do you mean by that?”

“Er. Nothing. We, er, have to go now,” Harry stuttered, leaping up and turning towards the door. He made it two steps before Draco had to catch him and sat him back on the barstool.

Lupin sighed. “Finish your food; that will help. You can have water, too, right? Here,” He got out two glasses and poured the boys some water.

The bouncer approached them, nodding for Lupin to follow him. Lupin, puzzled, obliged. Harry wondered if there was a problem with someone entering-- perhaps a human had discovered the place? But if that were the case, why wouldn’t they simply leave when the bouncer showed his teeth?

Harry got his answer soon enough. It was a human, but not just any human, rather, one of the last ones he’d want to find him here: Professor Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: How will Snape react, and why did he come looking for him? Also, a bad reaction to a potion, Nyarlathotep appears, and speculation on the squid!


	6. Nyarlathotep's Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This too takes place during book chapter 12, "Silver and Opals."

Draco sighed. “Harry, that’s not going to work,” he told the boy attempting to hide behind him. “He already knows you’re here.” Harry whimpered in protest as Draco pulled him away from his hiding spot and back into his seat.

Snape’s face twisted into a gentle frown as he reached the two. “Harry, relax, you’re not in trouble,” he prefaced, realizing what Harry must be thinking. “Though I highly disapprove of how you are choosing to spend your Hogsmeade weekend, I am here for a different reason.”

“Then what is that reason, sir?” Draco implored. “And how did you find us?”

“Well, you certainly didn’t make it easy to find you, that’s for sure,” Snape said through gritted teeth. He had some red sparks, too. Harry had been seeing a lot of people with those lately. “Next time, please do tell someone where specifically you’re going, rather than just ‘to lunch’; it’s lucky that I thought to look here, because certainly no one else would. You must return to the castle now, as there has been an attack.”

“Attack?” Harry jumped up, stumbling onto Draco. “Who? How?”

“Katie Bell. From what we can tell, she was bringing a package to someone at the castle that a stranger had given her. According to her friend, Miss Bell had been acting very oddly-- most likely, imperius was the cause. However, the package came loose, and she slightly brushed against the object inside, which had a curse placed upon it.”

Harry’s heart raced. “She’s still alive though, right?”

“Yes. She was very lucky she only touched it the barest amount; anymore, and she would be dead. It was also thanks to Miss Granger and Mister Weasley that she survived, as they witnessed it and sent for help quickly enough that the curse could be stopped from spreading before it became fatal. Now, let us go.”

“Why do we need to go back, though?” Draco asked. “The incident was mitigated, right? You have the object.”

Snape frowned. “I should think that obvious. We do not know who gave her the object, nor whom it was meant for. The culprit may try other methods to reach whomever from Hogwarts they desired to kill.”

“And, as usual, you suspect I could be the target?” Harry asked flatly, visibly wilting. So much for it being a good day.

“Unfortunately, yes, as usual. Now, let us hurry-- the fact you have not returned yet has undoubtedly induced a mild panic.”

Harry hurriedly said goodbye to Lupin as he tossed some galleons on the table-- he had insisted on paying for Draco again-- and, with some help from Draco, got the retainer and contacts back on as they rushed out. Some aurors had joined them on the way back to the castle, as Snape had sent a patronus to let them know he’d been found. Harry felt very self-conscious, as he still needed Draco’s help to keep upright. Finally, they entered the castle; Snape led them to the hospital wing, where McGonagall was-- Dumbledore was away, so she was acting Headmistress at the moment.

“Harry!” Hermione called, giving him a running hug. “You’re okay! We were getting worried! No one could find you!”

“Er, yeah, sorry,” Harry mumbled, as his gaze fell to the nearby bed. Katie was upon it, seemingly unconscious, but thrashing around as though in a violent nightmare.

Hermione noticed Harry’s gaze. “Yeah, she’s been like that since it happened over an hour ago… screaming, too, but luckily that stopped. Someone from St. Mungo’s will be here soon; Ron and I need to be here to explain what happened.”

“Where were you, mate?” Ron asked. “We were wondering if you’d been captured or something! We told them everywhere you could be, but you weren’t at any.”

“Yes, I would like to know such, as well,” McGonagall stated, approaching them.

“We were, er,” Harry blushed and swayed a bit, and Draco steadied him via a hand on his shoulder.

“It appears to have been a mere coincidence that no one found them initially; they simply were taking a walk,” Snape avouched. “After, apparently, imbibing a little too much, if Potter’s condition is any indication.”

“You’re DRUNK?” Ron proclaimed at Harry. 

“N-no! At least, I don’t drunk I’m think…”

McGonagall sighed, putting her head in her hand. “Poppy, could you get Mister Potter a sobering draught, please?” 

Madam Pomfrey ruffled through a cabinet, procuring a translucent blue-green potion. She poured some into a glass, which she proceeded to hand to Harry. He gave it a sniff, made a disgusted face, and tried to hand it back to her.

“Harry, please drink it.” Madam Pomfrey tried handing it to him again, with the same results. “For goodness sake, Potter! It doesn’t even have a smell, stop being so belligerent!”

Draco walked over, took the potion, and and gave it a sniff. “She’s right, Harry. No smell.”

“It’s poison,” Harry hissed as Draco tried handing it to him. He jumped backwards, crashing to the ground as he fell over his feet.

Draco sighed, helping Harry up. “Here, look, it’s fine.” Draco took a sip. “Not poison, see?”

Harry eyed Draco suspiciously.

“Mister Potter!” McGonagall called loudly, causing both Harry and Draco to cringe at the volume. “You will take that potion right now, or you will have detention for the rest of the year!”

“Sheesh, no need to yell,” Harry grumbled, grabbing the potion from Draco and downing it. The fuzziness cleared right up… only to be replaced with a strong nausea and swirling headache. 

“Harry?” Draco asked. “Feeling better now?”

“N-no, I- ugh. You drank it too, right? How are you…?” Harry swayed a little.

“Whoa. You look green,” Ron commented.

“I-I don’t feel so well…” Harry dashed towards the nearby trash bucket, spewing a stream of red into it before collapsing on the floor, still semi-conscious with arms wrapped tightly around his stomach.

“Oh my!” Madam Pomfrey called. “Here, let’s get you to a bed…”

As she set Harry up on a bed with a bucket, the healers arrived to collect Katie, whom left with her promptly, leaving behind some aurors. Harry was left with Draco while statements were taken. He expelled some more of his lunch during that time, Draco sitting on the bed next to him, rubbing his back. Eventually, Harry’s stomach seemed somewhat calmer, though he still shook slightly, arms around his stomach, Draco holding him. At about this same point, McGonagall left with the aurors.

“Well, then,” Madam Pomfrey proclaimed, as she, Snape, Ron, and Hermione headed back towards Harry. “That’s certainly an unusual response to a sobering draught; I’d say it were an allergic reaction, but there’s no potion ingredient in it that you haven’t had in others…”

“Perhaps physiological changes have triggered a new allergy?” Snape suggested.

“But, I was fine drinking it,” Draco informed, catching on to his meaning.

“Madam Pomfrey?” Hermione asked. “Could it be related to anything he ate, perchance?”

“I’m right here, you know,” Harry pointed out, voice weak. “I didn’t eat or drink anything unusual.”

“Really?” Ron asked skeptically. “The stuff in that bucket is completely red.”

“It’s not blood, is it?” Hermione gasped.

“Not mine.” Harry laughed lightly. “I had blood pudding for lunch,” he explained. That part was true. “And... mozzarella sticks.” That covered the ‘fried’ and ‘cheese’ aspects. He had nothing for the bone bites though. “Plus drinks.”

“What kinds of drinks?” Hermione asked. Harry noticed Draco was off to the side, speaking privately with Madam Pomfrey.

“Just a few cocktails. Red-coloured ones.”

“Harry, there’s hundreds of types of cocktails…”

“No need to say,” Madam Pomfrey declared. “Draco has explained it to me. Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, I would like you all to leave, now.” She shuffled them out, to much protest, leaving only Draco and Snape with her and Harry.

“Is something wrong?” Harry queried.

“You tell me. Draco says you’ve been having digestion problems the past few months?”

“Well, yes, but what’s that have to with the potion?”

“Well, from what it sounds like, you’ve been having trouble eating anything that isn’t animal-based. Many potions use a lot of plant materials, so maybe--”

Harry shook his head as he interjected. “I just can’t eat large amounts, and usually it’s fine if there’s lots of blood with it, like the pudding. This was different.”

“How so?”

“Well, that usually comes on slower, and I can usually hold it in fine if needed… but this was must faster. As soon as I drank that foul-smelling stuff, I felt really dizzy, and everything immediately came right up, with shooting pains.”

“Wait, foul-smelling?” Draco piped up. “You said that before. But it’s an odorless potion-- not even I could smell anything from it.”

“You referred to it as ‘poison’ earlier,” Snape recalled. “Why?”

“Poison?” Harry scrunched his eyebrows. “I don’t remember that.”

“You leapt backwards and hissed when I tried handing it to you earlier-- you mean you don’t remember that?” Draco marvelled.

“Not at all.”

Madam Pomfrey wrote something down and handed it to Snape, who nodded and left. “Have you forgotten anything else?” she Pomfrey inquired.

“How am I supposed to know if I’ve forgotten things? Isn’t the whole point of forgetting to not know?” Harry told them agitatedly.

“Harry, we’re only trying to help,” she told him gently.

Harry did not reply, rather, grasped the bucket again and heaved more, shaking vigorously. After some minutes, he seemed fine to talk again.

“How long have the stomach issues been going on?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“Er. I’m not really sure…”

“Since the Ministry incident, I think,” Draco replied. “Correct, Harry?”

Harry blinked. Now that he thought about it... “Yes, that sounds about right.”

Madam Pomfrey looked thoughtful. “I wonder if it has to do with that strange blood you ingested.”

“And they finally catch on!” Everyone swerved to face the Healer leaning next to the door, whom had apparently not left. How had they not noticed her there?

“What do you mean?” Harry asked, as sharp as he could with a raw throat. “Do you know something about this?”

“What are you really?” was Draco’s question. That scent was not human. Actually, it was slightly familiar...

The Healer spread her arms out as she walked over. “Come, now. Is such dissent really necessary, my children?”

“Your children?” Draco took offense to the wording. Harry rolled his eyes at that-- was this really the time? Did Draco not notice that the ‘arms’ poking out of the robe were tentacles?

“Yes, all creatures of the night are my Children. Surely, you realize who I am, by now?” The Healer’s mouth contorted into a distorted fang-filled smile too big for the face.

“Nyarlathotep,” Harry stated. “Why are you here? What do you know of my condition?”

“Oh, well, I was just in the area when I felt this intriguing force of such I haven’t felt in quite some time. Figured I would retrieve what caused it, you know, as it belongs to-- well, not humans. Yet imagine my astoundment to discover not only the object, but a strange being of unearthliness of which I’d never yet before encountered! I must admit though, I am quite disappointed to find that the strange being is merely a vampire who suckled an Old One… still, this is quite the turn of events, is it not?”

Neither Harry nor Draco were sure how to respond. This form of Nyarlathotep seemed quite different than the pharaoh had. Madam Pomfrey weren’t replying because she was frozen in either awe or fear, Harry wasn’t certain.

“Ah, yes, I’m quite different when not in the stuffy old pharaoh form, am I not?” Had she read their minds? “But ‘tis to be expected! I’m an actor, the trickster, the swarming chaos, the thing with a thousand faces! One cannot be stuffy all the time, correct?”

“Er, right,” Harry agreed. “So, what do you know of my condition?”

“Hmmmmm.” Nyarlathotep stared at Harry with pure-black star-speckled eyes for what seemed like aeons, but was really only a few seconds. “Well, it did something to you, that’s for certain.”

“Yes, but what?” Harry asked frustratedly.

Nyarlathotep shrugged. “No idea… well, other than that you’re more powerful now, since you have some of our magic! Well, in all but stomach strength, and possibly sanity-- not that you had much of that to begin with. Here,” an object formed upon her tentacle, and she tossed it to Harry. “This ought to help with things: make the various magic types within you mesh better, help focus it, and the like. You might discover you have some… more unusual magic. I am quite interested to discover what, if any, unique abilities manifest in my little anomaly! It’ll be quite fun...”

“Er, yeah, fun, right…” Harry examined the object in his hand-- a tiny silver metallic ring with various colored runes engraved on it, but much too small to go on a finger. “Is this… an earring? I don’t have my ears pierced.”

“Then put it on whatever you do have pierced.” Nyarlathotep winked at Harry.

Harry merely looked confused. “I don’t have my nose pierced either, though. Plus, there’s no opening.”

“Put it where you want, and it’ll go on. Anywhere. Ear, nose, lip, tongue, eyebrow, naval, nipple, cock… that last one sounds delightful, does it not?” She licked her lips sensually. “Choose wisely.”

Harry’s face was the color of cherries. He turned to Draco, holding the ring out. “W-what should I do? Where should I put this?”

Draco too was blushing a little. “Well, the ear would be the safest bet, but if you want it somewhere else, I won’t stop you.”

“Okay, the ear, then. Help me with it.” After some finegalling, they worked out the placement, and Draco pressed the ring to the right earlobe. Harry screamed as the flesh painfully split around the ring and reattached itself, leaving it looking like the ring had always been there.

“What is going on here?” Came a cold voice from the door. Did even Nyarlathotep flinch at that? Snape strolled in, a small bag in his hand, surveying things.

“Well, I’m off, then! Nice meeting you, too, sir,” She smiled gruesomely and shook a shocked Snape’s hand with her tentacle before dashing through the wall and into the oblivion in which she dwells.

Snape stared at where she had vanished for a moment before turning to Harry and Draco, a couple of wrackspurts quickly passing by. “Please explain how, in the ten minutes I’ve been absent, Madam Pomfrey has fallen unconscious, and you’ve gotten an ear piercing. An explanation to what that creature was would be lovely, as well.”

With a wave from Harry, Madam Pomfrey gained consciousness. Harry blinked in bewilderment. No, that must have been coincidence. Harry and Draco explained to her and Snape what had more or less transpired with Nyarlathotep. 

“If I hadn’t seen her myself, I’d not have believed it,” Snape asserted. “Anyway, Harry, I brought the ingredients that were from the potion. We’re going to see if you have any unusual aversions to any, to hopefully prevent giving you a potion with it in the future. Understand?”

Harry nodded. They went through each ingredient. Eventually they got to squill; upon catching the scent of the plant, Harry yelped, holding out his hand to push it away-- causing it to fly across the room and crash violently against the other wall.

“I think it’s safe to say that’s the problematic one,” a chuckling Nyarlathotep informed them all.

“You’re back? Why?” Harry asked.

“Oh, just forgot to tell you something-- earlier, when we were chatting, those two friends of yours were listening at the door, using one of those ear-extender device things.”

Harry’s face turned pure white. “The extendable ears? Do you know how much they heard?” He grabbed Draco’s arm in support, feeling faint. If they heard all of that, all from the moment they left… 

“Oh, don’t worry, I took care of it,” she told them sneering gleefully. “They remember hearing something entirely different! I don’t think they’ll want to ask any questions about it, either.”

Harry relaxed. “Thank you.”

“Hold up,” Draco interjected, not trusting that sneer. “What exactly is it they won’t want to ask questions about?”

Nyarlathotep’s smile stretched even further in her terrifyingly mischievous manner, and she looked directly into Harry’s eyes. “They now think that you, Harry Potter, have a magical STI given to you by one Draco Malfoy!” She twirled once before skipping off into the wall.

Harry actually did faint at that.

 

*******

 

Harry sighed as he stretched out on his back beside the lake. It was a beautifully cloudy Sunday. Madam Pomfrey had insisted on keeping Harry overnight, but Harry was actually slightly grateful for that-- it delayed the inevitable awkward encounter with Ron and Hermione, courtesy of the sprawling chaos. Otherwise, their entire group was doing homework today, it seemed, which Harry and Draco had already completed. Because of this, after Harry was discharged, they decided to go be lazy.

“You look like a cute little kitten when you stretch like that,” Draco, sitting beside Harry, told the other boy affectionately, rusting his hair a bit, which elicited a responding playful purr. “My little kitten.”

Draco leaned down to kiss Harry, only to have a huge wave of water crash upon them.

Harry coughed as he sat up. “What the bloody hell was that?”

“The squid…” Draco said, making a face of disgust. “I hear it’s done that to others too, in accordance to its stupid sense of humor.”

“Why is there a giant squid living near the shore of a freshwater lake anyway?” Harry wondered. “Don’t they live deep under the surface of saltwater seas? Like, 300 meters down or something? It should be dead, living here.”

Draco pondered this for a moment. “Maybe it’s not actually a giant squid.”

Harry looked at Draco, wide-eyed. “You think it might be…?”

Draco laughed. “No, no, I’m just joking; there's no way it could be anything but a squid… is there?”

“Yeah, there’s no way… hey, I brought the walkman, you interested?”

“When am I not?” Draco accepted the headphones from Harry-- after some quick drying charms on them and their surroundings-- and the two cuddled up beside each other, lying in the grass, singing along to the music...

_“A planet of playthings / we dance on the strings / of powers we cannot perceive...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: They're animagii! Wait, so suddenly? How? Also, Harry confronts Hermione and Ron about what they overheard, and Luna's quidditch commentary is quite insighful, albeit not at all about the game!
> 
>  
> 
> Song at the end is "Freewill" by Rush.


	7. Two Cats and a Jackalope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during book chapter 14, "Felix Felicis."

Harry stretched as he woke, inadvertently hitting Draco in the face. Once again they had used the potion after a lesson with Dumbledore, this time on a Monday evening-- the memory he had shown Harry had given a disturbing insight into Voldemort’s childhood.

“Hey, watch where you’re stretching,” Draco muttered, lifting his boyfriend off his lap and sitting up with a yawn.

“Draco, look…” Harry gestured to two photos on the lounge table. One showed a blue-eyed pure-white shorthair kitten, a green-eyed black longhair kitten with a wisp of brown on the forehead as well as an earring, and a large jackalope with tan fur and umber horns, sitting next to each other. The other showed the same trio roughhousing.  
[](https://ibb.co/f0dOQR)

Draco blinked. “You think that’s real, or only for the Dreamlands?” Draco asked. “I mean, we weren’t actually there in physical form, after all. Plus, the whole training process was entirely different than our world’s, and jackalopes don’t actually exist here.”

“Well, let’s find out.” Harry stood up, concentrated on the cat, and leapt forwards. He landed on four paws, then turned to stare up at a Draco twenty ten times his size.

“Bloody Merlin,” Draco whispered. “We really are…” Draco then leapt forwards too, landing as a white shorthair kitten.

Selardi, whom had been cuddled on the couch with the two, trotted forwards and began sniffing the animagii. The kitten looked at them curiously, then began walking towards the door, glancing back happily to request they follow. the gesture seemed to say. Harry and Draco happily obliged, giving in slightly to the animal’s mind. The castle looked immensely different as a cat. Eventually, they arrived at the Gryffindor common room; being the weekend, and a brilliant sunny day, few were there-- in fact, the only ones who were were Neville, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron, doing homework at a corner table, as it was currently their tuesday morning free period. Selardi ran over to them.

“Hello, Selardi,” Hermione cooed, picking up the kitten and cuddling it to her chest as it purred.

Crookshanks jumped from Hermione’s lap to vigorously sniff the two animagii.

“There’s two more kittens there, too!” Ginny noted. “Come here…” she knelt on the ground, gesturing them over to be pet. Harry and Draco complied. “Hmm. You look a tad familiar… have we seen you around before?”

“That one has an earring, too! Who would put an earring on a cat?” Hermione exclaimed.

“Actually, doesn’t Harry have an earring like that?” Ginny picked Harry up and stared at him curiously. “Looks a bit like him, too.”

Harry meowed and struggled to get down; once he was, he shifted back into his human-- er, vampire-- form. Fully clothed, contacts on-- some people had trouble transforming with things on, but he and Draco had been trained well. Harry slid his tongue over his pointed teeth… oh. He hadn’t put the retainer on. No matter, though; a quick glamour would work. Their four friends were staring at Harry in pure awe.

Neville was the first to recover. “That’s amazing… so, that other kitten; I assume it’s Draco…”

“Yes,” Harry confirmed. “Er… where’d he go?” Harry looked around, discovering that Draco and Selardi had gotten distracted by an old quill that had fallen to the floor. He hurried over and picked Draco up. “Hey, time to turn back now-- or do you want to embarrass yourself by letting the cat’s instincts lead you on a feather hunt?”

If a cat could blush, Harry was sure Draco would be doing so. In fact, when he transformed back, he was slightly blushing. Harry whispered a quiet reminder to glamour his fangs, which Draco did.

“That’s bloody wicked!” Ron proclaimed. “But, why did you miss Transfiguration this morning?” A couple of wrackspurts circled him.

“And Draco, shouldn’t you be in it right now?” Hermione added.

The two boys paled. They had been in the Dreamlands that long? “We, er, slept in,” Harry muttered, blushing. He’d also forgotten today was a Tuesday, come to think of it. McGonagall was one of the scariest professors to deal with, when it came to discipline...

“But, how are you animagii?” asked Ginny, after a bit of an awkward silence at that. She had some wrackspurts too, Harry noted; actually, they all did-- understandably of course. “Doesn’t it take months, and involve carrying a mandrake leaf in your mouth?”

“Here, yes, but we learned a slightly different way, that’s a lot faster,” Harry informed her. “It’s a ritual that involves injesting the sap of a tree that doesn’t exist in this world, covering our bodies with runes drawn with a special clay, a permanent branding using a hot mithril knife, and a full two days of meditation on top of a specific cliff while in a circle of flames surrounded by runes carved into large rocks, interrupted once an hour to consume more sap.”

“Luna did it too,” Draco added. “She’s a jackalope.”

That only caused Hermione to become even more puzzled. “I’ve never heard of that method at all. And what do you mean by ‘tree that doesn’t exist in this world’? And mithril doesn’t exist either. Plus, there’s no way you were able to leave here to get to whatever cliff for two days without anyone noticing. How’d you really go about it?”

“Not to mention that ‘permanent brand’.” Ron scoffed. “You seriously expected us to believe that story?”

In reply, Harry and Draco slightly pulled down their robes, revealing hand-drawn burned-in sigils over their hearts, consisting of a circle about ten centimeters across with thin bisected triangles on four sides and filled with a complicated pattern of lines and circles, involving what looked like an eye in the center, slightly raised and whitish-pink.  
[](https://imgbb.com/)

Ron’s eyes widened in horror. “That must have seriously hurt!”

“Okay, fine, say it’s true,” Hermione began, still very skeptical. “That still doesn’t explain how you left Hogwarts for two days without notice.”

“Time flows differently there,” Draco explained.

“And you don’t need to leave the grounds to go to the Dreamlands,” Neville further clarified. “That’s where you and Luna went, right?” he asked the two.

“Yes,” Harry confirmed. “We met a demon there who explained the ritual to us and helped us through it, for a small favor.”

Their four friends paled at that. “You made a deal with a demon?!” Ginny gasped. “Seriously?! Not doing so is basically the first lesson for Defense Against the Dark Arts!”

Harry cringed. Yes, for humans that was quite dangerous, as demons didn’t like them and could be very crafty… but it had been different for them, being non-humans, whom demons were much more amicable to, as well as the fact that the demon was a servant of Karakal, who was Luna’s great-grandmother, and them having Azathoth’s protection. But he couldn’t tell all that to three of the four there.

“What was the favor?” Ron whispered.

“Er… that’s a secret.” Harry was pretty sure none of them would approve of them stealing a magical jewel from a witch as the ‘small favor’, regardless of the fact that the jewel had initially been stolen from the demon in the first place.

“So you know the ritual now, though?” Neville asked. “So could teach it to us if we wanted?”

“Are you kidding?” Ron asked Neville, incredulously. “I think I’ll choose the longer, less painful, version, if I ever want to become one…” Hermione and Ginny agreed vigorously.

“Technically, yes,” Draco told Neville, “but you’ll need to be able to stay in the Dreamlands for the full two days, which very few humans of this world can achieve through normal sleep, if they can even get there. Two dreamland days are maybe two or three hours, and typically human dream cycles last only a half hour. You need to use different methods.”

Neville caught what they were saying by using the word human instead of people, but the others didn’t-- couldn’t. Ginny raised an eyebrow. “Then how did you two do it?”

“We gain entry via the White Ship,” Harry told her. “Since we have its favor. Leaving on the White Ship in your sleep keeps you in the dream state until it returns you. Usually to stay that long in a dream cycle, humans need to use certain sleep drugs, either muggle or magical, or find one of the physical pathways there, which are in places fraught with danger due to their unstable nature and locations: Bermuda Triangle, Siberia, the Marianas Trench, the Australian Outback, Mt. Vesuvius’s cauldron…”

“Ah, okay, nevermind then,” Neville said quickly. The White Ship was not an option for humans, and the other methods were much too dangerous.

“What types of drugs?” Ron asked curiously, earning him a glare from Hermione.

Draco shrugged. “Not sure exactly. Lucid dreaming potion, probably, combined with something to keep you solidly asleep for a few hours, as waking up during the ritual would render it useless-- I’d imagine the branding would cause your body to be shocked awake if you slept normally.”

Neville looked thoughtful. “Do you think Blaise could get us some, in addition to the nyx? Or, maybe the nyx can take us! It showed us them last time.”

“It showed us brief flashes of them, didn’t take us there,” Harry pointed out. “Besides, nyx wears off much too quickly.”

Hermione looked at them suspiciously, a bit of anger in her voice. “You’re still using nyx, aren’t you?” Draco, Neville, and Harry paled, saying nothing, looking everywhere but at Hermione. “Well? Are you?” she persisted, a couple red sparks shooting off her.

“YOU’ve been using nyx?!” Ginny asked loudly, shocked, standing up. Yellow flashed around her briefly.

“Hey, watch your voice,” Neville hissed, pulling her down.

“Why, yes,” Luna, who had suddenly appeared, informed Ginny. “We had some just a few nights ago. Sometimes nyx, sometimes hermes, sometimes icarus, sometimes this muggle one called cannabis… all wonderful stuff… oh, and we tried aphrodite once, which was delightful, but for some reason they don’t want to use it again; I mean, all that happened was--” Her mouth was covered simultaneously by Draco and Harry, who were both vigorously blushing.

Hermione looked like she was about to explode.

Ron, ignoring-- or maybe not noticing-- how outraged Hermione was looking, spoke up. “I’m a bit jealous… do you think I could try some, too?”

Harry smiled, an idea forming… “You would have to ask Blaise about that,” he told his red-haired friend, who frowned in annoyance. Maybe Harry could get Ron to dislike his Slytherin friends less if he forced them to interact.

Hermione exploded then, going into a rant the entire castle could probably hear.

 

*******

 

“Harry. Hey, Harry! Pay attention!” Ron waived his hand in front of Harry’s face.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Harry asked. 

“You were completely zoned out! Not to sound like Hermione, but we have work to do!” He gestured to the ugly looking stump nearby. They were in Herbology class, which they still shared with the Hufflepuffs; unlike Care of Magical Creatures, most of the base classes like this nearly all the NEWT students took, so there remained two classes shared with one house each.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hermione huffed at Ron. “I’m getting worried about you, again,” she told Harry. “You keep getting lost in thought, not paying attention to the things around you… I think those… substances... you’ve been using must be addling your mind. You really must stop!”

“It has nothing to do with that!” Harry contended. “I was just daydreaming a little, that’s all.”

“What about?” Ron asked in curiosity.

“Oh, you know, just wondering how to get the thunderbird to like me,” Harry lied. Whereas it was true that the bird hated him for no discernable reason-- trying to pet it, despite everyone else having done so, had caused the violent storm the weekend had wrought-- Harry had basically given up on earning its favor. No, his mind was on the hunt he and Draco had gone on the evening prior, before their Dreamlands visit, the delicious hawk he had managed to catch, with a dessert of each other's blood and some frottage… Harry blushed as he pulled himself back to reality.

Ron raised an eyebrow. “With that look on your face? Mate, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were lovesick.”

Harry blushed deeper as Hermione shot a knowing smile at him. “N-no, that’s not it!” He quickly replied.

Hermione frowned. “Harry,” she said, a bit seriously. “I-- we-- have a confession. The other day, when you were in the hospital wing, we used the extendable ears…”

Harry paled. He’d hoped they’d avoid this conversation; but who was he kidding, his best friends wouldn't forget hearing of that, particularly Ron, who was bright red and looking away.

Harry blushed deeply, as well. He had practiced what to tell them, he could do this. “That… wasn’t actually true. Nyarlathotep-- that powerful pharaoh that was there last year around exams-- saw you listening, and decided to modify your memories for laughs. She can be fairly cruel with her tricks at times…”

Ron smiled. “See, Hermione? I told you he wouldn’t shag Malfoy!”

Hermione frowned. “So you’re saying that creepy pharaoh was there? But you said ‘she’. Wasn’t he a male? And pretty stoic for pranks.”

“Nyarlathotep is a shapeshifting creature, so presented as a female healer… whom apparently shifts personalities as well. It was very strange.”

“Then if it weren’t what we heard, what were you talking about, and why was Malfoy there?” Ron demanded.

“It’s, er, because he was there in the veil room with me last year… I haven’t told anyone who wasn’t there,” -- except Blaise, after the learned of the vampire thing, and Luna-- “but when fighting that creature, I kinda… bit it, accidentally ingesting some of whatever it had instead of blood. That’s why I was vomiting so much after the battle, not due to food poisoning. Apparently, it’s lingered, which is why my stomach has been acting up so much still.”

Hermione frowned again. “But why was that creature there?”

“Nyarlathotep was in the area-- she felt the magic from the curse activating, and came to the castle because the item had been stolen from someone she knows. Then she saw me there, and recognized the problem, though doesn't know how to solve it anymore than anyone else. The adverse reactions are similar to what the Old One I bit had.”

“Okay… but why didn’t you tell us this to begin with?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“But you worried us more by not saying anything!”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“You also should have explained all this the other day,” Ron added, annoyed. “I could have done without a whole two days of thinking you and Malfoy were shagging. That was much worse than worrying about your eating habits, honestly.”

“Er. Right.” Harry disliked where this conversation had headed. Whereas it was true the two vampires hadn’t gone “all the way”-- yet-- he was still trying to avoid Ron learning of the relationship, despite all his other friends insisting he should say something. Hermione, in fact, was giving him a pointed look right at that moment, clearly implying he should.

“Hey, Harry, you okay?” Ron asked.

“Huh?” Harry blinked.

“You were totally lost in thought again. You can’t have been daydreaming about the thunderbird still.”

“Wait, the thunderbird? Weren’t we just talking about Saturday?”

Hermione gave Harry a peculiar look. “No, Harry, we weren’t. You zoned out again.”

“Speaking of that,” Ron began. Harry blinked. He’d imagined all of that? Hold on… were they going to talk about it again?! “What happened after Madam Pomfrey kicked us out? Why’d she let Malfoy stay?”

“Ron.” Hermione looked annoyed. “I told you before, if Harry doesn’t want to say, he doesn’t have to. Honestly.” She turned to Harry. “He tried to use one of those extendable ears, you know.”

“Oh, come on, you were tempted too!”

Luckily, at that moment, Professor Sprout came over to remind them to get back to work. So, they put on protective goggles, and got to it, diving into the snarled Snargaluff stump. Harry was hardly paying attention though-- how had he imagined an entire conversation like that? And Nyarlathotep really didn’t make them think they heard Madam Pomfrey tell him he had an STI? Oh, right. The trickster of cosmic beings. That must have been another stupid prank.

 

*******

 

It was a stunningly beautiful day for a quidditch match-- if you were human. Bright sun, no clouds in the sky, very warm for the end of November… this was going to be hell for Harry and Draco. They covered themselves in magical sunscreen before leaving their lounge for breakfast, Harry smiling as he saw Apollo’s drawings hanging on the wall by the door-- the snake absolutely loved art, and Harry vaguely wondered if it would improve as he got older. What would the wizarding world think of a runespoor artist? Perhaps they could get it into a museum, then reveal it was the snake during an artist appearance… Ah, but Harry was getting ahead of himself; currently, the snake’s drawings still looked like a 5-year-old’s. 

Breakfast caused Hermione to get into a tizzy, thinking-- as Harry had wanted her to-- that Ron’s drink had been spiked with the luck potion. It hadn’t really, but Harry hoped Ron thinking so would help with Ron’s ridiculous nerves, especially as his recent irritated state had caused him to focus even less at practices. Draco had thought it was a brilliant idea, too, and he was the captain of the other team-- Harry had half expected him to try to talk him out of it, but Draco really was a brilliantly supportive boyfriend. Harry was looking forwards to facing his boyfriend in a match again-- even back as rivals, he’d been one of the more fun seekers to play against, a real challenge. Had it really only been slightly over a year since then? Since the match he fought with Draco, since the night he was turned into a vampire… Harry shook his head. He didn’t want to think about that day, not when there was quidditch to play-- or ever, really.

“Captains, shake hands,” Madam Hooch enjoined, and they did, possibly for slightly longer than generally acceptable, looking each other in the eyes. Both had playful challenge within them-- they may be lovers, but that would not inhibit their competitive drive!

At the whistle, they were off. Harry noted his players’ positions-- the chasers were playing in top form, with Demelza having replaced Katie as she had not yet returned from St. Mungo’s. Harry delighted in the fact that Ron had already blocked a goal.

Harry groaned as he heard the new commentator’s voice. Zacharias Smith, a Hufflepuff whom was not to fond of Harry, and had started severely criticising his team picks, particularly Ron, claiming the only reason he was there was due to friendship, not skill.

“Excuse me, that is not very nice,” another voice came over the loudspeaker. “You ought to apologize.”

Harry laughed as Luna and Zacharias got into an argument-- McGonagall quickly rushed over to turn off the mic and attempt to resolve it. Somehow, Luna’s remarks caused Zacharias to storm off, and she was permitted to take over announcing. Harry focused on looking for the snitch, keeping an eye on Draco in case he spotted it first. Draco caught his eye and winked.

“Oh, how charming, Draco winked at Harry!” proclaimed Luna. How had she noticed that? “They’re so adorable together, aren’t they? And now they are blushing, too, how lovely… oh, it looks like Ginny and Dean are flirting a little, too, see how he just tossed her the quaffle? Oh, wait, that was just because Demelza wasn’t open… still, they make such a cute couple, too, don’t they? Oh, but Blaise has stolen the quaffle now… Hm, I think he might have a crush on Hermione, you know. And maybe Neville, too… and me… actually, he just seems to flirt with everyone… oh, look, he’s dropped the quaffle, now Demelza has it… I hear she’s going out with Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff. Although, Susan Bones seems close to them too; maybe all three are together. Wouldn’t that be divine? Oh, look, she dropped it too! But Ginny caught it, and scored a goal!”

“Luna, this is a quidditch match, not a commentary on people’s imaginary love lives,” McGonagall interjected, clearly embarrassed about letting Luna commentate. “Please stick to the match, or you’ll be asked to leave.”

“But love is a wonderful thing… and they aren’t imaginary. Ron caught Dean and Ginny snogging the other day, and was quite mad about it.”

McGonagall put her hand on her forehead. “That may be, but it still has nothing to do with the match…”

After that, Luna’s commentary get somewhat back on track, although somehow wrackspurts and other imaginary creatures-- well, not quite imaginary, as Luna interpreted her ability to read auras as seeing such-- got woven in, but thankfully she was no longer talking about love lives. It seemed that Gryffindor was ahead, as Ron had so far blocked everything but the one missed when Luna mentioned Ginny and Dean snogging, and his chasers were doing an amazing job, making up for his mediocre beaters, although honestly no one could compare to Fred and George.

Harry squinted in the bright sun. He noticed a glint of gold off in the distance… yes, definitely the snitch. It appeared that Draco had noticed it, too… Harry dashed towards it... as he approached, he and Draco reached out at the same time… they clasped hands, the snitch between them. The two looked at each other in surprise.

“Oh, they’re holding hands! Isn’t that precious?” Luna commented.

“No, they simply caught the snitch at the same moment! Honestly!” McGonagall sighed.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle, signaling the game’s end. Harry and Draco landed, hands still interlocked, and delivered the ball to her. Everyone in the stadium collectively gasped as, after examining the tiny gold ball, it was officially confirmed that the capture by each had occurred at exactly the same moment-- something that hadn't happened at Hogwarts in over a century. Both laughing happily at that, the two captains gave each other a quick hug instead of the traditional after-game handshake.

“Draco, you’re not supposed to be happy; they beat us!” Blaise teased.

“Yes, but it was, as Luna said, quite precious,” Draco laughed, as Harry noticed some ghosts of puffy pink things nearby, though they quickly vanished. 

“Ah yes, that commentary… that beautiful commentary…”

“Why would McGonagall let Luna do the commentary?” Ron wondered, as Harry returned to the Gryffindor team.

“You have to admit, it was a cute finish, though,” Ginny smiled.

Ron laughed. “Harry and Malfoy, cute together? I think Luna’s ideas have gotten into your head a bit. Can you believe it, Harry? She seems to actually think you two would make a good couple!”

Harry blushed. Guess it was time to tell his friend the truth. “Er, actually, Ron, we…”

Yet Harry never managed to tell Ron, for at that moment, Hermione came storming up to the two, dragging them away in a rage, undoubtedly to talk about the luck potion...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Hermione tries firewhiskey! Slughorn has a Christmas party! Harry has a vision!


	8. Parties and a Vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas Eve! Coincidentally and appropriately, you get Slughorn's Christmas party today!
> 
> This takes place at the end of book chapter 14, "Felix Felicius," and during chapter 15, "The Unbreakable Vow."

Someone was knocking on the lounge door. Harry slid it open a little, discovering it was Hermione. “May I join you?” she practically demanded, some red sparks flying off her.

Harry opened the door fully. “Er. The party here is a little bit… different… than the one in the common room, you know.”

“I am well aware, and I don’t care. Ron’s being an arse. He’s such a hypocrite, snogging Lavender so much, mere hours after getting outraged at Ginny snogging Dean and ranting about how Krum and I were together-- two years ago! So what if we still write? I told him, we’re friends now, that’s all! I saw you and Neville sneak out, figured you’d be down here. Give me that!” she strode over to Neville, grabbing the firewhiskey from his hand. To everyone’s utter shock, instead of confiscating it, she took a huge swig, promptly engaging in a fit of coughing accented by puffs of fire.

The party after the Gryffindor-Slytherin match had been quite intense. Harry was flooded by so many people, asking about both the match itself and Luna’s commentary, that he quickly ducked out and headed towards the lounge, Neville in tow-- Ron hadn’t noticed, as he had apparently decided to reciprocate Lavender’s affection towards him, and had eyes for nothing else. Draco was, of course, waiting in the lounge already, along with Blaise and Luna-- neither Ravenclaw nor Slytherin were having celebration parties, after all.

“Yeah, not a good idea to take such a huge swig, especially on your first time,” Blaise commented.

“W-who said it’s my first time?” Hermione blushed.

Harry smiled. “You’re not exactly fooling anyone, Hermione, not with that reaction.”

Draco gave her a curious look. “If I’m reading this right, you intend to drink with us, don’t you? Why the sudden change of mind towards such?”

Hermione pouted. “I’m feeling rebellious, okay? If he can be so hypocritical, I can, too.” She sniffed the air. “Is that smoke?”

“How hypocritical do you want to be?” Blaise asked, an innocent expression on his face, holding out a rolled piece of paper with smoke coming out one end.

Hermione paled. “Y-you mean, you have…? You still do… that?”

“Of course. This one’s just a muggle thing, relaxes you and whatnot,.” He passed the joint to Neville, who took a deep drag. “But if you want something more intense, I do have aphrodite and hermes, if you feel so inclined… they’re not the same as nyx, but still quite the rush. Aphrodite gives fun hallucinations, and hermes makes your mind go at an intense speed.”

“Blaise,” Draco warned. “Don’t you dare give her aphrodite.”

“But that’s the best one!” Luna proclaimed.

“You remember last time we all did it together, right? We are not having a repeat of that!”

“But it was so much fun…”

“What happened with it?” Hermione asked curiously.

They all blushed a very deep crimson. “It also has, er, aphrodasiacal effects,” Harry muttered. 

“A-anyway,” Neville stuttered into the ensuing awkward silence. “We could do the hermes. That was fun too.”

“Not the best idea in her state of mind,” Draco pointed out. “Let’s stick just to drinking and smoking.”

“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Hermione told them adamantly. “Not the smoking though…” She scrunched her face up in disgust. “I don’t think I’m feeling rebellious to the extent of using anything illegal. So, let’s get to it, then.” She took another swig of firewhiskey, smaller this time, cringing, but managed not to cough more than the typical single fireball. “Can we play a game with it, again?”

“Kings, or a different one?” Harry asked, reaching around Hermione to pass the joint to Blaise.

“I, uh, don’t know any others…”

“Strip poker?” Luna suggested, causing Hermione to blush.

“No, Luna, you always win that,” Neville stated. “Let’s do horses.”

“No, how about truth or dare?” Suggested Blaise, eyes dancing mirthfully. “There’s some things I want to ask Hermione…”

“How do you even play that with drinks?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Simple: if you don’t want to do the truth or dare assigned, you drink.”

Hermione, by the end of the game, was the drunkest one there.

 

*******

 

“This is ridiculous,” Harry complained, slumping onto the couch one evening, a few weeks later. He had been in the library with Hermione, until curfew hit, and when they returned to the common room, she had stormed off upon seeing Ron and Lavender snogging in the corner. Again.

“What’s ridiculous?” Draco asked, pulling Harry over to cuddle, a few puffy pink things floating around him again before vanishing.

Harry sighed. “Ron and Hermione, fighting over nothing. I have to squander my time between the two, and half the time all they do is complain about the other. Hermione is clearly jealous of Lavender, and Ron is clearly using Lavender just as a means to spite Hermione for snogging Krum-- two bloody years ago-- even if he doesn’t fully seem to realize it. I hate being between the two like this! They need to just snog already. And then there’s that stupid Christmas party Slughorn is having, that I have to go to, which every girl in the school seems to be trying to get me to invite them to, despite knowing I’m not interested in girls!”

“Then just tell them you’re inviting me.”

“I have, yet that doesn’t matter to them-- they still assume we're just friends, and even if they knew otherwise, I’m sure it won’t matter to them. They’re even trying to slip me love potions now! And don’t even get me started on the mistletoe they all gather around when I’m nearby… why does the castle need magical mistletoe, anyway?”

Draco laughed. “After all the times I’ve had to jump in and save you from that mistletoe, I’m pretty sure quite a few people have caught on that we’re closer than friends, considering how heated some of our kisses ended up being.”

“Hey, not my fault you’re so perfectly snoggable. It’s seriously difficult to not use tongue with you!”

“I see… well, my little kitten, you happen to be perfectly snoggable, too,” Draco purred, pulling Harry close, so they were face to face. He leaned forwards, pressing his lips to Harry’s, who vigorously returned the kiss, grabbing onto Draco’s hair and swinging his legs to straddle his boyfriend.

“Someone’s eager,” Draco teased, once Harry broke the kiss.

“I need a distraction,” Harry muttered, sliding his teeth onto Draco’s neck, who closed his eyes and turned his head to give better access, hands sliding to Harry’s arse. Harry let his teeth linger there, one hand still in Draco’s hair and the other parting Draco’s robes. His lover moaned deeply and hands clenched as Harry drove his teeth into the soft skin while twisting a nipple and pressing his hips down. Harry drank deeply, then muttered into Draco’s ear, “I want to go all the way tonight…”

Draco’s heart skipped a beat. “You sure, my love?” he whispered.

“I’m sure.” Harry locked eyes with Draco as he said this. “I love you, Draco.”

 

*******

 

“Congratulations,” Luna told the two the next day, as they, Neville, and Blaise headed to Slughorn’s Christmas party-- Draco and Luna were Harry and Blaise’s dates, the latter as friends. Originally Hermione was going to take Ron, so all their friends could go, but obviously that wasn’t happening now. Neville had offered, but Ron insisted he didn’t want to go if Hermione was there. Harry was a litte grateful for that, honestly-- he could just imagine a fight breaking out, especially since it nearly had, earlier, as Hermione had decided to take McLaggen, whom Ron absolutely hated, out of spite.

“What are we being congratulated for?” Harry asked, confused.

“Why, for finally fully consummating your relationship, of course!” She declared, somewhat loudly.

Harry and Draco turned bright red and looked around. “Luna, keep it down,” Draco spluttered.

“Oh? Did I hear that correctly?” Blaise asked, curiosity piqued, as Neville too blushed deeply.

“H-how do you even know that, Luna?” Harry asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? You had some liebghras circling around you at breakfast this morning. Those only appear around people who have had sex within the previous six hours. Many people have them.” Leave it to Luna to put it so bluntly. Wait, so she was going to know almost every time they had sex?

“Finally!” Blaise declared. “I was wondering when you’d finally get to it. So? How was it? All you imagined?”

“Blaise, we are not talking to you about our sex lives,” Draco told him finitely. 

“Besides, we’re here,” Neville informed them, clearly happy for a reason to drop the conversation.

Nearly the instant Harry entered the green-, red-, and gold-decked room, which was bathed in a glow from red fairy bulbs, he was being pulled away by an excited Slughorn. Harry somehow managed to grab Draco’s arm before being hauled off to be introduced to the various famous and semi-famous people Slughorn had invited there, almost all former ‘Slug Club’ members in their school days, of course. Harry was largely uninterested, until they got to a little man named Eldred Worple and his guest, a vampire named Sanguini. Apparently, Worple had recently published a book on vampires, after living with a group of them in Transylvania for some time. Harry made a note to find the book next time he went to a book store-- it hadn’t been in the Hogwarts library when he did research on vampires last year. Worple seemed to want a deal to have a biography on Harry written, but Harry wasn’t paying much attention to that-- rather, he focused on the fellow vampire.

“Hello,” Harry greeted him. “Sanguini, was it?”

Sanguini looked at Harry and Draco oddly. “You are hiding what you really are,” he commented after a while.

Harry glanced around, then asked, at a volume inaudible to humans, “You know what I am?”

Sanguini chucked, then replied in the same low voice. “I have a nose, you know. Which also tells me you have not yet had human blood. You cannot be at your full strength without it, you know.”

“The potion works fine for us,” Draco told him coldly. “We refuse to take human blood.”

“Well, that is your choice, but a poor one.” Sanguini seemed to be very blunt about things. “There’s no need to drain them, you know. They don’t even have to know they were attacked-- you two, unlike me, are also wizards, so can make them forget, correct?”

“That’s true,” Harry mused, clearly interested in that prospect,earning him a heavy glare from Draco.

“It’s still the principal of the thing,” Draco insisted.

“You could also find a willing donor, like I have with Eldred.”

“Again, we do not want to drink human blood, whether from a willing host or not. We’re not…”

“Monsters?” Sanguini finished. “You still have some lingering prejudices from being a human. Though that is understandable, as you are clearly recently turned.” He leaned towards Harry and pointed out another uncomfortable truth. “Why do you hide? If the wizards knew their savior were not human, that would make it better for us, you know. Wizards might be more willing to accept we are people, just like them.”

“Once I defeat Voldemort, I will,” Harry promised. “But while in school, I need to hide. Savior or not, people will not want such a creature around their children. Plus, you know how strongly non-humans are hated by some; many won’t care who I am, only what.”

“That is painfully true,” Sanguini sadly acknowledged. “I have been a vampire for over a hundred years, yet not much has changed in the way we are treated by humans, despite efforts having been made. That is why many species, such as the giants, join the dark wizard here: he promises them freedom. However, we know that he lies. He hates all who are not wizards, even wizards whose parentage includes those who are not wizards. Why would he care about creatures?”

“He doesn’t,” Draco said bluntly. “I know first hand. The vampire who turned me had been captured by him and forced to do it. He hoped that I would follow him because my father did, and he’d have a willing vampire pet. Too bad that backfired horribly.”

Sanguini looked worried, and Harry saw some blue ovals flashing downwards. “Do you think he would try that again?”

“No, I don’t think he’ll try making his own again. The prospect of having people more powerful than him among his cronies wouldn’t appeal anymore; he’d be afraid they’d rebel, as I did, or try to usurp him. He isn’t very trusting.” That had essentially been what Dumbledore had said, when Draco had asked the same to him.

The older vampire relaxed. “That is good to know. I will tell my coven to be extra careful though, just in case.”

“Good idea,” agreed Harry.

“So, Harry, m’boy, what do you think of that?” Slughorn’s voice was jarring after speaking so quietly with Draco and Sanguini. He and Worple had been talking the whole time, not realizing the other conversation was happening. “Why don’t you have Eldred write up your biography?”

“Er, no thanks, sorry,” Harry told him. “Maybe when I’m done with school or something. I gotta go now-- I see a friend of mine over there... Nice meeting you, Sanguini.” Harry grabbed Draco’s hand, leading him to where he had spied Hermione.

Luna joined them too. They only spoke briefly with the surprisingly tipsy Hermione before she ran off, trying to avoid McLaggen. Well, it was her fault for inviting someone she disliked due to spite. Somehow, they ended up in a conversation with Trelawney, Slughorn, and Snape, of all people. A very drunk Trelawney had been insisting he should have continued with Divination, when an also drunk, but not quite as much so, Slughorn interjected, beginning to talk of how Harry was wonderful at potions, dragging Snape over. Snape did not look too happy about having to interact with Slughorn. Then, Slughorn began talking about careers, declaring Harry would make a great auror, which half the people around him seemed to do these days. Luna had then decided to chime in about some conspiracy the aurors had. Harry just stood there sipping his mead, with a house elf popping over to automatically refill it when he ran out, while this occurred, as they had seemed to have forgotten he was there after a while, eventually becoming lost in thought again, and wandering off.

“Hey, Harry, you okay?” Ginny asked him, noticing him lingering on the edge of the crowd a bit later. “Draco is looking for you; he looked worried.”

“Huh? Yeah, just a bit tired, I suppose. Slughorn was talking again about how great of an auror I’d make.”

“Well, he does have a point,” Ginny informed him. “But that’s your choice, isn’t it? Do what you want, not what people say you should.”

“Yeah, I know,” he told her. “I plan to.” A house-elf refilled his drink again. Ginny left to go find Dean, so Harry went to find Draco, wandering around, barely noticing his surroundings.

“I think you’ve had enough of this,” Draco told Harry, finding him first and taking his goblet of mead. “Just because the house-elves refill it, doesn’t mean you have to drink it.” He placed the glass on a tray of dirty dishes which appeared to be floating by, but in reality a house-elf was holding it above their head. “You doing okay?” he asked quietly. “You look pretty pale. Have you eaten or drunken anything recently, other than mead?”

Harry blinked at Draco. “Er. I don’t remember,” he admitted meekly. Come to think of it, had he had anything today at all? He’d only been seeing Madam Pomfrey a few times a week now, and subsequently had started inadvertently skipping lunches sometimes-- the potion was really only needed once a day or two, as he often had animal blood to accompany it, but there had been no time to hunt and no outside classes today to grab a chicken…

“Harry? Hey, you’re zoning out again. When did you last have something?” He put his hands on Harry’s shoulders, looking at him concernedly.

“I had your blood last night...” Harry muttered, looking away, “but I don’t remember if I had anything since… Just the mead...”

Draco slid his hand over Harry’s forehead to move his hair from his eyes, then frowned. “Harry, you’re burning up.” Harry just looked at Draco blankly. “A vampire should never be this warm. You’re sick. We need to get you help-- let’s go.” He took Harry’s hand, leading him towards Snape… only to be stopped partway by some magical force.

“Ooh, look who ended up under the mistletoe!” Blaise teased, seeing them there. Others turned, curious, at the blushing pair.

“I hate mistletoe,” Harry muttered.

Draco chuckled. “It’s doesn’t have to be on the lips, you know.” He brushed back Harry’s hair and planted a kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead, frowning again as Harry swayed slightly. The mistletoe released them, and Draco once again leading a dazed Harry across the remainder of the room.

“Professor Snape,” Draco called, hailing the man, who was still reluctantly conversing with Slughorn, Trelawney, and Luna. “Harry’s not feeling well.”

“Oh, he’s fine,” Slughorn boomed, “We’ve all imbibed a little much tonight. It’s all part of the fun!”

“No, it’s not that, he seems to have a fever, look, he’s nearly passed out… Harry? Harry!” Draco caught Harry as he lost balance. “He also hasn’t eaten anything all day, I think, other than the mead he had here.”

Snape stepped forwards and felt Harry’s forehead, also frowning. “This is definitely worrisome. We must get him to Madam Pomfrey immediately.”

Harry walked slowly down the hallways with them, Draco holding him up, feeling even more dazed than before. “I feel sleepy,” he muttered, tripping over his feet.

“Draco, carry him,” Snape enjoined, and Draco complied.

Harry curled up in Draco’s arms. He was still so small, Draco noted. Still thin. He looked very pale and gaunt at the moment, actually. Harry had been fine last night… then again, he’d said he hadn’t had anything to eat all day, hadn’t he? He hugged his boyfriend close. “He'll be okay, right?” He asked Snape, quietly.

“Yes,” Snape consoled Draco. “He’s survived much worse; you’ve seen that first hand. Madam Pomfrey will fix him up.”

“Hear that, Harry? You’ll be fine. Harry? Hey, Harry? Professor, I think he passed out!” Draco began running.

 

*******

 

Harry woke slowly. He was in a bright room… ah, hospital wing, of course. He moved to find his glasses, only to find his hand immobile; Harry turned his head to see why. “Draco?”

“Harry! You’re awake! Thank Merlin!” Draco let go of his boyfriend’s hand and pulled him into a hug. “I was so scared… you’ve been out the whole night...” He had tears in his eyes.

“What happened?” Harry asked, as Madam Pomfrey shuffled over.

“Well, we think it has to do with the Old One blood, as it seems you react poorly to rubies; the goblets were studded with those and emeralds, and it appears that one dislodged, which you swallowed. Madam Pomfrey removed it, which seems to have caused your recovery.”

Harry looked at her quizzically. “I’m allergic to… rubies?”

Madam Pomfrey nodded. “Probably sapphires too, as they are merely a different color of the same mineral. But it’s not really an allergy, per se-- it seems to have put you into some sort of hibernative state. Do be careful not to swallow any again.”

“Right, I’ll be careful to.” Harry’s thoughts flew back to Neville throwing the strange rock into Kaalut’s maw. It had been a reddish colour, hadn’t it? “Hey… remember that stone at the Ministry? The one that fended off the Old One? Maybe this is similar.”

Draco nodded. “That does make sense…”

Suddenly, Harry screamed. He held his hands to his scar, which felt like it was splitting his head open. Harry drew his knees into his chest, resting his elbows on them as he pressed on his skull, willing the pain to stop, but it wouldn’t. An intense fear filled Harry… no, it wasn’t his fear… two eyes, he saw two large snake eyes, crimson red-- not Voldemort’s eyes, these were different. He… knew those eyes? Never met them, but still somehow knew… They were angry… not at him, at whose emotions he was feeling… Such a strong fear, changing to anger, confusion… someone was calling him...

“Harry! Hey, Harry, snap out of it!” Draco was the one calling him. Harry opened his eyes, gasping, the pain subsiding to a dull throb. He looked at Draco, who held him closer. “Thank Merlin…” the blonde whispered.

“[I… I’m okay… It’s Voldemort… he’s in pain, terrified, angry, confused…]”

Draco’s eyes widened. “[The Dark Lord? Afraid? How?]”

“[He angered an Old One. Yig, Lord of Serpents. I think… he tried to get his power, by force, and Yig didn’t like that very much.]”

Draco looked thoughtful for a brief moment before replying. “[It sounds like he doesn’t understand the Old Ones much, then, though it’s worrisome that he actually is looking into them, and found one. We need to let the Order know about this. If he does manage to obtain one’s power, or the help of one…]”

Harry nodded, wincing as his head throbbed, another shock of pain shooting across his scar. “[Yeah, it wouldn’t be good.]” He turned to Madam Pomfrey, who was looking at the two oddly. Why…? Oh. They’d been speaking in what they had christened the “dream language”; that happened sometimes, when discussing the Old Ones. He made sure to speak English this time. “Is Dumbledore around? It’s urgent.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: An animagus mishap, Christmas at the Weasleys, and Harry talks to Draco about his hallucinations!


	9. Christmas at the Weasleys'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas! In a brilliant coincidence, you get the Christmas chapter today!
> 
> This takes place during book chapter 16, "A Very Frosty Christmas."

Harry sighed as he helped Ron cut sprouts for dinner that night. 

“What’s eating you?” Ron asked.

“Well, I didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone this morning, except Draco. They’d already all left by the time I woke up.”

“Well, that’s kinda your own fault, isn’t it? Getting so drunk you ended up in the hospital wing?” It looked like some little peach squares jumped around Ron, but Harry blinked and they were gone.

“I stand by that it would not have happened if the house-elves didn’t automatically refill the drinks. It’s easy to lose track that way.” That had been the reason given for Harry’s overnight stay in the hospital wing: mere irresponsibility. It rather agitated Harry-- he was responsible with drinking, dammit! Usually-- but that was the most logical thing they could come up with that would cause the least issue, as “coma due to a ruby” would require far too much explaining of things he did not want to explain; only three humans and a vampire knew about the Old One blood affecting him: Dumbledore, Pomfrey, Snape, and Draco, and that was plenty.

Ron shook his head slowly. “I can’t believe that you, of all people, ended up drinking yourself into the hospital wing.”

“Harry did WHAT?” Fred asked, as he and George entered the kitchen. They had huge smiles on their faces, and Harry noted some purple-yellow stars twinkling around them, only for a second.

Harry blushed. “N-nothing!”

“Trying to replace Trelawney as the castle drunk?” teased George.

“N-No! Shut up!”

“If you say so,” George dismissed. “What we’re more interested in knowing is why Mrs. Norris is hunting gnomes in our garden.”

“Ah, she, er, followed me here. Again,” Harry admitted. “I’ll return her before Christmas, again.”

“Speaking of gnomes,” Fred’s eyes lit up, and even more stars sparkled quickly around him. “I got one here that bit me. We’re going to paint it gold, put a tutu and wings on, and make it the new angel for the tree!”

 

*******

 

“Draco!” Harry cheered, running to his boyfriend, whom had just arrived at the Burrow. He gave him a huge hug. “I missed you.”

“Hey, relax, it’s only been two days!” Draco laughed, blushing.

“Aww, zey are adorable!” Fleur, who had arrived with Bill moments before, cooed. Bill chuckled knowingly.

“Why do people keep saying that?” Ron wondered, many little grey fuzzballs circling him, still clueless as to Harry and Draco’s relationship. Ron could be so stubborn-- Harry hadn’t exactly been careful about hiding his affection for Draco lately around, well, everyone, including Ron.

“What, no hug for your godfather?” Sirius teased, as he and Lupin too entered the Weasley home. Draco was staying with them for the holiday break. Harry was a little jealous, although he would be staying with them for the latter part of the break-- Mrs. Weasley had insisted he be with them for the first week, though. Harry liked the Weasleys, of course, but it was a little tough staying there-- especially for his stomach, which hated half the foods Mrs. Weasley tried serving him.

Harry smiled. “Of course you get a hug, too. I’ve missed you as well.”

Sirius chuckled. “You’ve missed me? We talk multiple times a week!” Harry used the mirror quite frequently, it was true. Yellow stars fluttered around him, until Harry blinked.

“Yes, but talking to someone and having them in the room is entirely different!” Harry hugged Lupin in greeting, too. He looked rather haggard-- no doubt due to spending a lot of time with the werewolf packs lately, as a spy.

“I do hope I’m not interrupting anything,” came a voice from the doorway. Everyone looked over in shock-- why was Dumbledore here?

“Is everything okay?” Mrs Weasley wondered, hurrying into the room. “It’s not Arthur, is it? He said he had a lot of fieldwork today…”

“Oh, no, Molly, Arthur is fine, as far as I know. I’m merely here because Argus has lost his cat again… ah, there she is.”

“Meow!” Mrs. Norris called.

“Miau?” answered Selardi, who had arrived with Draco. The two cats rubbed cheeks in greeting.

“Ah, friendship,” Dumbledore sighed. “I apologize, but I must break you two up, for the moment.” He picked up Mrs. Norris, whom complained with a light growl. “You don’t want to leave Argus all alone on Christmas Eve, do you, my dear?” Mrs. Norris meowed in a resigned manner, and Dumbledore left with her.

“That’s a nice earring, Harry,” Bill complimented. Harry thanked him; he figured he’d appreciate it, having one himself, unlike the reaction he’d gotten from Mrs. Weasley. Harry wondered if Bill had received the same lecture on delinquency when he’d gotten his dragon-fang one, or if that was in part due to the alcohol use.

“Where’s everyone else?” Draco asked, looking around. 

“Fred and George went to the town, something about impressing some muggle girl with card tricks,” Harry explained. “Mr. Weasley is at work still, and Ginny is in the garden, picking some vegetables for the dinner.”

Draco sniffed. “Speaking of food, I think something is burning…”

“Oh! The scones!” Mrs. Weasley lamented, running to the kitchen. 

“Bill, let us ‘elp ‘er wit ze cooking,” Fleur declared, pulling him into the kitchen too.

“Oh! Harry and I have something to show you, by the way,” Draco told Lupin and Sirius.

“We do?” Harry asked, as Draco pulled him outside, with Lupin, Sirius, and Ron following curiously.

“Yes. Ron and Ginny know, but we don’t want the others to, yet.”

Ron looked puzzled. “Wait, what do I know?”

“Meow,” said Draco, pawing at the air.

“Oh! That!” Harry laughed. They hadn’t told Sirius and Lupin yet, wanting to reveal it in person. Harry grinned broadly at the two adults. “You’re in for a surprise.”

Harry and Draco turned around and pounced, landing in their kitten forms, then turned around to look at Sirius and Lupin’s utterly shocked faces. However, Sirius’s soon turned into a mischievous grin… Harry and Draco looked at each other warily. That grin was never good.

“Woof!” Sirius was suddenly in dog form, chasing two very frightened kittens-- clearly he had intended it to be play, but the cat instincts thought otherwise. Running into a fence, Harry turned around, hissed, and laid a scratch upon the dog’s nose, who sat down with a baffled expression.

“Sirius!” Lupin admonished, catching up to them. “Bad dog!”

Sirius returned to his human form, rubbing his nose, which was lined with red marks. “Harry scratched me.” He sounded hurt.

“Well, yes, you’re ten times his size, loud, and were chasing him. His cat instincts clearly kicked in, which he probably can’t control well, yet…”

“Oh, right. Sorry, Harry,” Sirius apologized guiltily. “Harry? Hey, where’d you go?”

“Well, I found Draco,” Lupin sighed, pointing to the top of a very tall bird feeder. “Not sure how he got there, but let’s work on getting him down, first…”

Harry had escaped through a hole in the fence; he dashed down the wooded country street as fast as his little legs could carry him, trapped entirely in the cat mind. He wandered around in a panic-- which, when he finally calmed, began anew as he wasn’t quite sure where he was now. The sun was setting, too… Harry screeched as he heard a loud pop.

“Oh? And what’s a little kitten like you doing here?” Someone picked the frightened Harry up. “Hmm, you look familiar. Are you Draco’s cat? Well, let’s get you inside; it’s much too cold out here for a kitten.”

Whomever held the still-terrified Harry walked down a dirt pathway, at the end of which was a door the person knocked on. The door opened.

“Arthur! Welcome home! Oh? What do you have there?”

“Harry!!” Draco came charging over, grabbing the shivering kitten from Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley looked at them curiously. “Harry? Wait a second…” his eyes fell to the earring. “Is that…?”

“Yes, and Sirius idiotically decided to chase him,” Lupin said, glaring at Sirius, “meaning the cat instincts kicked in, so he ran. We’ve been looking all over for him the past half hour!”

“Why’s he not changing back?” asked Ron. 

Sirius sighed. “He’s not practiced enough to easily overcome the cat’s instincts; right now, the cat is frightened and panicked, and that’s all he can think about. Things like this happen to all animagi, particularly when they’re just starting out. If you calm him down, he’ll remember he’s human, and change back.”

“I think he’s calm now, actually,” Ginny remarked, sounding amused. “Just way too content to want to return.” Harry was indeed purring rambunctiously as Draco held him to his chest with one hand and used the other to scratch behind the kitten’s ears, a loving look adorning his face.

“Oh, no need to make ‘im return now, we know where ‘e eez. We should let ‘im be ‘appy,” Fleur decided.

“But dinner's nearly ready!” Mrs. Weasley scolded. “They can cuddle later!” She then blushed in realization of the implication, as the girls burst into giggles.

“Harry, I think it’s time to become human again,” Draco whispered. “Everyone’s waiting for you to change back.”

The cat looked almost embarrassed at that, squirming to be let down. Once firmly back on the ground, Harry reverted to his human form, blushing. “Er. Sorry. I, er, don’t really know what came over me…”

“Cat instincts,” Draco told him. “Happened to me, too; ended up on the bird feeder.”

“I really am sorry about that,” Sirius admitted sheepishly. “I forgot the instincts can be difficult to manage at first… we can work on that when you’re at my place next week, okay?”

“Did something happen?” Fred asked, as he and George returned to find them all gathered together.

“Harry got stuck in his animagus form for a bit, that’s all,” Bill informed the twins.

“What? You’re an animagus?” George wondered. “Well, let’s see it, then!”

“Er. Maybe later,” Harry replied. “I think I’m done with being a cat for today.”

“Oh! Speaking of that, you need nicknames, right, Moony?” Sirius burst excitedly.

Lupin chuckled. “Do you have any propositions?”

“Well, we were all named after are animal parts-- Padfoot, Prongs, Wormtail-- except you. We can continue that… let’s see, Whiskers? Paws?”

“We are not being called Whiskers and Paws,” Draco insisted.

“Yeah, we’re fine without names,” Harry concurred.

Sirius and Lupin both ignored them. “How about Scratchy,” Lupin chuckled. “Harry got your nose pretty badly.”

Sirius put his hand to his nose, which still had marks. “Yeah, that was a pretty good job you did there, Harry,” he teased. “Those are some razor-sharp claws… hmm, Razorclaw…”

“We. Are. Not. Getting. Nicknames.” Harry and Draco growled together through gritted teeth.

Dinner was a nice affair, everyone chatting amicably and laughing together. Harry fed his unwanted foods stealthily to Selardi, whom ate them happily, although the foods probably weren’t the best for a cat, come to think of it. Harry wondered if he would be able to taste things in his cat form… probably not, seeing as some of their vampire abilities had definitely remained-- not feeling the cold, Draco leaping way higher than a normal cat, Harry running much quicker down that road-- meaning the others probably all had, too.

“So, what inspired you two to become animagi?” Lupin asked after a while. “That’s not usually something people do on a whim, simply because it’s so arduous.”

“Er…” Harry was not quite sure what to say. They made a spur-of-the-moment decision when a demon showed them a strange ritual to do it quickly, in exchange for robbing someone? Yeah, that would go over well.

“I bet it was for pranks,” Sirius piped up. “Cats are perfect for pulling off pranks-- they’re so common in the castle, after all.”

“How did you go through it without anyone noticing though?” Mrs. Weasley asked. “You need to hold a leaf in your mouth for a full month, then brew the potion…”

“They used a slightly different method to do it,” Ron claimed dryly. “Only took two days. But it was in another world, where time works differently, so here only a few hours passed.”

“Ron!” Harry exclaimed angrily.

“Different method?” Sirius frowned. “What do you mean? And another world?”

“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” Harry denied.

Lupin looked pensive. “What time specifically must the potion be brewed to work?”

“You’re quizzing us!?”

“Quickest way to see who is telling the truth.”

“You honestly think a story about being in another world where time passes differently has any validity?”

“Considering you’re mentioned things about such worlds before, yes, although never specifically said you went.”

“Plus,” added Sirius, “we speak with the mirror every few days, and there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed you speaking through a leaf, after having done so myself for a month.”

Harry slumped sheepishly in his chair. He was becoming somewhat panicked… Draco held his hand, noticing-- as well as being worried himself… then, Harry had an idea for how to calm down. Poof. He was a cat, and scampered off.

Draco groaned, putting his head on the table.

“No matter; we’ll just ask you, Draco,” Mr. Weasley decided. “So, how exactly did you become animagi…?”

“Er. Hey, Luna did it with us, you know! She’s a jackalope. Not sure how, seeing as they don’t technically exist, but, hey, she’s Luna, so can’t really question it, right?”

“Oh, yes, I am a jackalope,” Luna told them. Everyone jumped; why,when, and how did she get there? “I can show you, if you want.”

“Do you need something, dear?” Mrs. Weasley asked. “Your father isn’t in trouble again, is he?”

“Actually, yes; he tried to go to Carcosa again. He ended up somewhere else instead, but I am not sure where. Draco, Harry, I need your help getting him back. I need you to call the ship-- do you have the po--”

Harry, who had apparently returned to human form, slammed his hand over Luna’s mouth. “Do you have any concept of the word ‘secret’?” He hissed.

“Harry? Hey, you there?” Someone asked.

Harry blinked. He was at the dinner table; they were talking about something entirely unrelated to their animagi abilities, and Luna wasn’t there. What had just happened? Had Harry imagined a whole conversation, again? “Er, sorry, Draco. I zoned out again, didn’t I?” Harry asked, receiving a nod in response. “Was anyone asking about the animagii forms again?” He whispered.

“No, Harry, they weren’t,” Draco answered in a whisper too, eyes wide, blue circles wafting around him for a brief second.

“And Luna wasn’t here?” Harry bit his lip as Draco shook his head, then turned back to his plate of food, twirling it around with his fork.

Dinner completed, everyone moved to the couches to listen to, at Mrs. Weasley’s insistence, the Celestina Warbeck special, just like the previous year-- she seemed to not hear all the groans, and kept shushing people when their conversations got too loud. Someone passed out eggnog, and the fire crackled around them, its light dancing around all the paper chains and tinsel strewn around, courtesy of Ginny being a little over enthusiastic with the decorating in order to avoid other chores; Selardi was having a blast, and Harry somewhat wished he could join in-- his friends would never stop teasing him about it, though. He sat curled against Draco on a corner couch, sipping his eggnog from under a blanket, barely paying attention to his surroundings, as Draco absentmindedly ran his fingers through Harry’s hair while actually listening to some of the conversations and occasionally pitching in. Mr. Weasley talked of Ministry things, and Lupin of his werewolf society infiltration; Sirius, Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron were playing exploding snap while getting angry looks from Mrs. Weasley whenever a card exploded during a quieter song; Fleur was mimicking the singer jokingly as Bill laughed, which also annoyed Mrs. Weasley… she seemed to be getting annoyed at a lot of things tonight…

“Harry, are you okay?” Mrs. Weasley asked, suddenly in front of him. “You’re looking pretty tired, and it's only 8pm.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he told her dully.

“That doesn’t sound very convincing.” Mrs. Weasley frowned. “Wait a minute…” She narrowed her eyes. “That eggnog you’re drinking wouldn’t happened to be alcoholic, would it?”

“I dunno, maybe,” Harry told her lazily. “Ask Sirius; he gave it to me.” Mrs. Weasley lifted the glass from his hands and gave it a sniff; Harry didn’t bother to stop her. 

Mrs. Weasley frowned, red sparks jumping off her. “Sirius!” She stomped over to him. “Did you give everyone the spiked eggnog, children included?”

Sirius looked at her innocently, eyes widened. “There were different versions? All I was told to do was to get the eggnog out; I assumed both bottles were the same…”

Harry snickered slightly, which it seemed the rest of the room had done too, but he didn’t pay attention to the rest of the argument-- Selardi had leapt onto the couch and purred loudly, rubbing against Harry and Draco; they laughed and pet the happy kitten, who began trying to play with their fingers. The tiny claws and teeth tickled. Harry snuggled closer to Draco-- if he were human, he’d be falling asleep right now, he figured, as it seemed the cat was now doing. Hmm… cats usually dozed in a half-sleep, with the deeper kind humans experience happening much less. Could he achieve that half-sleep too, in his animagus form?

Draco started at the loss of the warm body beside him, then smiled as a second kitten crawled onto his blanket-covered lap, snuggling up next to the other.

“Hey, where’d Harry go?” Sirius asked, after a while, sounding worried.

Mrs. Weasley looked around with a look of concern. “I don’t know… Maybe his room; I don’t think he was feeling very well.”

“No, he’s still here,” Draco purred. “See?” He gestured towards his lap, where the two kittens were curled up around each other, seemingly asleep. “Both my kitties are.”

“Aww, zat is so cute!” Fleur cooed.

“Now taking bets on when they finally hook up,” George announced, earning a glare from his mother and causing Draco to blush deeply.

“Who, the cats?” Ron wondered.

Fred sighed. “And you call yourself our brother…”

Ginny chuckled. “Just let him live in his fantasy for now… he’ll catch on someday. Maybe.”

 

*******

 

Harry became a cat again and quietly snuck out of the room he had been sharing with Ron-- everyone had stayed over, so most of them had to share rooms or take couches. He’d been reading some of the notes in his borrowed potions book until he had been sure his friend had fully fallen asleep, so he could go be with Draco. Mrs. Weasley had refused to let them share, clearly catching on to their relationship-- everyone but Ron had, Harry seemed sure. His friend must be either more oblivious than he thought, or in severe denial that Harry could possibly be more than friends with a Slytherin. Considering how long it took him to even acknowledge a general friendship, Harry was sure it was the latter.

“Meow!” Harry called, leaping onto Draco’s chest, causing his boyfriend to jump in surprise; he had been laying on the couch listening to the Walkman, eyes closed, so it had been easy to sneak up on him. Mrs. Weasley had originally set it up so that he was sharing with Bill and Fleur with Ginny, but once she went to bed Draco came downstairs to let the part-veela stay with her fiance-- they were engaged, after all, and adults, so why not let them sleep together if they wanted?

“Hello, my little kitten,” Draco cooed, taking the headphones out and pausing the tape. Harry turned back to human, causing him to end up straddling Draco and his face being close enough to kiss. So Draco leaned up and kiss him briefly, causing Harry to make a cat-like murmur and snuggle up to his boyfriend, pressing their hips together in the process. Draco held back a moan. “We shouldn’t do this here,” he muttered quiety.

Harry made a pouting face. “Why not?”

“Because Sirius and Remus are both sleeping down here, too, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Oh, right.” Harry blushed, flipping around so he was sitting in Draco’s lap instead. Draco slid them back to sit against the couch arm and put his arms around Harry’s waist, planting a kiss upon his head before resting his chin on it as his lover leaned back into him. 

“I love you,” Draco muttered in Harry’s ear, some pink fuzzballs dancing around him.

“I love you too,” Harry purred. Despite being not in his animagus form, Harry was feeling quite cat-like. They were quiet for a moment, but then Harry frowned. “This is real, right?”

“What do you mean?” Draco asked, some wrackspurts circling him. “Of course what we have is real.”

“I know that. I mean, now. Sitting here, with you. I’m not dreaming it, am I?”

Draco hugged Harry tighter. “Yes, this is real. You can feel me holding you, right? My heart beating? Smell my blood, even? Could you do all that if this were a dream?”

Harry was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know,” he admitted meekly.

“You’ve been hearing things,” Draco said; it wasn’t a question. “Seeing things, too. Everytime you zone out. Just like that time back in Hogsmeade.”

“Yeah. They’re daydreams, I guess, but they feel so real.” Harry’s voice was dejected, as if he had lost all energy, as he explained. “It began as just conversations, the people already around me talking, things still staying where they were, but then things moved as well. In the Three Broomsticks, I followed you, yet thought I was still at the table with them. And at dinner, I imagined Luna showed up, and I’d gone into my animagus form… I don’t know what to do, Draco. Those things I realized were imagined, because people snapped me out of it. But what if no one is there? What if I imagine things, and don’t realize I did, thinking they really happened? Maybe I already have.”

Draco thought for a moment. “Well, is it only sight and sound? Do you feel anything? Smell anything?”

Harry’s brow scrunched as he thought hard about it. “I don’t think so. It’s just sight and sound. And often a little nonsensical, I suppose.”

“Then maybe that can help you. Try to notice if you can’t smell or feel, especially when things seem weird.”

“I can’t feel much normally, anyway, though,” Harry muttered. “And my whole life is pretty weird too, objectively.”

“But you can feel a little. What’s that muggle phrase? ‘Pinch me, I must be dreaming’?” Draco pinched Harry on the hip, hard, causing him to flinch in surprise. “See? You felt that. If you suspect things aren’t real, do that.”

“But won’t people notice me pinching myself? Then I’d need to explain…”

“Then maybe bite your lip or something.”

“I guess I could try that…” Harry trailed. “Er. There’s also another thing…”

“You can see the auras, like Luna can?”

Harry turned a little to look at Draco, surprised. “How’d you guess that?”

“You mentioned wrackspurts a couple of times too many to be merely joking.”

“Oh.” Harry paused for a moment. “It’s not like her though, seeing them always. It’s just flashes. And not really creatures, more like shapes and colors. Like, if someone yells in anger, there will be some red sparks, but for barely a second. And joy is yellow stars, with amusement mixing some purple in them. Worry is orange swirling around them, sadness is blue ovals moving downwards, love is big pink puffballs, confusion is the little grey fuzzy balls-- the wrackspurts, as Luna calls them-- among others. It’s only when the emotions are strong, I think.”

“Hmmm. I wonder if it’s one of the abilities the Old One blood gives you?”

“Probably. I don’t mind it though.”

“Might be useful, too,” Draco pondered. “If you refine it, you could tell when people try to hide their emotions.”

“True… I wonder what other abilities will show themselves; Nyarlathotep seemed to think there would be, and gave me the earring to help me control the magic…”

“As long as you don’t grow tentacles,” Draco teased.

“Oh god. I better not.” Harry shivered. He already had more than enough of an inhuman visage than he’d have liked.

Draco chuckled, then became serious again. “Another thing: I’ve noticed you’ve been a little out of it today, and not just the zoning out thing. How are you feeling?”

Harry sighed, deciding to answer honestly, voice quiet. “Not very well, actually. Today I… I thought about cutting again, maybe even doing more. I haven’t felt like doing that in months… Draco, I really don't trust myself to be alone right now, please stay with me,” he begged.

“Don’t worry, Harry. I’m not going to leave you.” He hugged Harry tighter. “Hey, you know what usually makes you feel better?”

“Snogging?” Harry asked hopefully.

Draco chuckled. “Other than that.”

“Sex.” Harry smiled slightly. He knew that’s not what Draco meant, of course.

Harry could almost feel Draco rolling his eyes. “Not related to physical contact.”

“Oh! Drinking your blood.”

“That’s still physical contact…” Some amusement stars circled around Draco.

Harry continued to play coy. “Hmmm. I dunno, then, what?” 

“Music, you silly kitty.” 

“Oh? I’m your kitty cat now?”

“Mhmm. Now, wear these and be quiet.” Harry meowed in response, eliciting a lilting chuckle from Draco. He stuck one set of the earbuds in Harry’s ears, then the other in his, pressing play to continue where the cassette had left off.

_"...if the clouds burst, thunder in your ear / you shout and no one seems to hear / and if the band you’re in starts playing different tunes / I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Scrimgeor visits! A new ability revealed! Harry is not in a good place, so Draco makes soup for him. Their use of the dream potion is discovered!
> 
>  
> 
> Song at the end is “Brain Damage” by Pink Floyd.


	10. The Minister, the Amulet, and Getting Caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This occurs at the very end of book chapter 16, "A Very Frosty Christmas," and in the space between that and the following chapter.

“So you’re siding with Dumbledore, then? Against the Ministry?” Scrimgeour, the new Minister of Magic, asked. He had shown up during their Christmas lunch, under the pretense of his assistant, Percy, wanting to visit his family-- which he clearly didn’t-- while they were in the area. He asked Harry to show him around the yard-- another pretense, of course, as there was nothing to see that you couldn’t from the window except for some gnomes digging for worms in the garden as they trailed through the snowy yard. Scrimgeour wasted little time getting to the point-- he wanted Harry to show support for the Ministry, if not overtly then by pretending to visit periodically to look as though they were on amicable terms. He also wanted to know what Dumbledore had been doing when he left, but Harry had no idea either-- not that he’d tell if he did, he made sure the Minister knew.

“No, I’m not. I’m siding with me. I refuse to be used, whether by the Ministry, Dumbledore, gods, or any type of cosmic entity!” Not that he had much control over those last two.

“Gods? Cosmic entities? Whatever do you mean by that?” the Minister sounded curious… no, suspicious-- the green-yellow dots were suspicion.

“Just an expression.”

“Huh. Well, it really would be in your best interest, you know…”

“I already told you: the answer is no, and it isn’t changing. Please drop it.” Harry huffed. ‘Possibly for your own safety,’ Harry thought-- he was getting extremely frustrated; it was all he could do to keep it in.

“Are you sure there isn’t a way we might convince you? As I said, we could help streamline your career; being with the ministry is very advantageous, you know…”

“I. Said. Drop. It.” Harry growled, a wave of strange power washing over him.

Scrimgeour blinked a few times, a couple of wrackspurts appearing over him. “Er. What was I saying again?”

“How you really should be getting going now,” Harry tried. Did what he think just happened really happen? 

“Ah, yes. Well, it’s a shame you won’t work with us, I must say. But, if that’s your final decision, as it seems to be, who am I to try to change it? If you ever do change your mind though, the offer is open.” Their route had conveniently taken them straight back to the door at this point.

“Er. Right.” Harry bit his lip slightly-- yep, there was pain. Somehow, this was no illusion-- he’d really influenced the Minister. Was it the Old One blood? That was a somewhat scary power; he’d have to learn to control it quickly, lest he accidentally influence something-- or someone-- he didn’t want to influence.

They returned to the kitchen to discover a very pissed off Percy with a face covered in mashed parsnips, with whom the Minister quickly left with. Sirius, still in dog form, took it upon himself to help the cat clean up the parsnips that had missed Percy, before changing back. Harry then explained what Scrimgeour had wanted, which everyone had of course predicted would be the case. Harry naturally left out the part about influencing the ending, though from Draco’s look, his boyfriend had probably overheard. People finished their meals, then dispersed to various corners of the house.

“Can I go to your place tonight?” Harry asked Sirius, catching him alone. Well, semi-alone; Draco was nearby playing with his cat, but almost certainly listening to the conversation. From that spot, he could probably listen to any conversation in the house, for that matter.

A bit of yellow stars twinkled around Sirius, but mixed with some blue dots-- happy and sad? “You still have a few more nights here; that was the agreement. If you can somehow convince Molly to let you go early, I’d love to have you sooner, but you know how difficult that is to do.” Ah, so that was it. He was happy that Harry wanted to visit sooner, but resigned to not being able to make it so.

“Do we have to ask her? I don’t want to be here.”

Sirius looked concerned. “Why not? Did something happen?”

“Not specifically. It’s just a bit… I dunno, overwhelming, maybe? Mrs. Weasley kinda smothers me a bit. I know it’s because she cares, but I’m not used to it. Plus, she keeps trying to make me eat a lot of things I can’t eat well, which is physically painful. And, well… I missed Draco, too. Mostly at night.”

“You get lonely at night, don’t you?” Sirius asked. “I know what that’s like. I’m glad we get to talk with the mirror, or else I’d go crazy when Remus leaves to go undercover for weeks. You know, if you’re lonely, you can always call me-- no matter what hour of the night. Call at 4am if you want; I don’t mind being woken up if you need me. And the rest of this week, you can use it to chat with Draco, too-- I can leave him alone with the mirror if you want privacy.”

Harry smiled. “Thank you.” It wouldn’t be quite the same as being physically with his boyfriend, but it was the next best thing, Harry supposed. Sirius was right; Mrs. Weasley wouldn’t let him leave early.

 

*******

 

“Okay, Harry, you can let go now,” Draco chucked, though made no attempt to actually escape the hug. His boyfriend, who had attached himself upon him immediately upon arriving at Sirius's place, merely held tighter. Mrs. Weasley was discussing things with Sirius and Lupin, trying to impress upon them-- well, mostly upon Sirius-- the importance of things like not giving Harry alcohol, making sure he eats all his food, making sure he sleeps, making sure he doesn’t share a bedroom with Draco, and other wellbeing things that a responsible adult would know to do. None of such which would be followed, of course-- Sirius had already promised them a shared bedroom and stocked the drink cabinet with plenty to share, and of course, being vampires, their food would be much different than Mrs. Weasley expected, and they didn’t naturally sleep. Mrs. Weasley assumed Lupin would help keep Harry in line, of course-- she would never agree to him staying if it were only Sirius there-- yet little did she know, Lupin was fairly relaxed about things as well. He claimed that after everything Harry had been through, he “deserved the right to to enjoy some more adult things.” Finally, Mrs. Weasley finished her lecture, said goodbye -- Harry let go of Draco to hug her-- and left.

Sirius chuckled. “So, do you want to drink and catch up, or ought I leave you two to your room for awhile?” He grinned teasingly.

Harry was conflicted; he wanted both. He also didn’t know whether or not to tell Sirius and Lupin about the influencing ability. He would tell Draco, of course. He didn’t use the mirror for it out of concern for being overheard-- perhaps a touch paranoid, true, but with so many people around, it didn’t hurt to be safe. He didn’t want many knowing of this ability, after all-- not until he knew more about its limits. Suddenly, someone pinched his arm, hard. “Ouch!” Harry proclaimed, swerving around. “What was that for?”

Draco looked slightly puzzled, some wrackspurts and a few streaks of orange flowing by, then shrugged nonchalantly. “You looked like you were starting to zone out again. So, our room alone, or drinking with them?” 

“I don’t know… you decide.”

“Time alone, then.” Draco grabbed Harry’s hand and headed towards the stairs.

“Have fun.” Sirius winked, causing the two boys to blush.

Once the two got in the room, Draco closed and locked the door. “Sweater off, now,” he adjured. Harry was wearing the Christmas sweater Mrs.Weasley had made him this year-- it had a runespoor on it, clearly meant to be Apollo.

Harry looked frightened, briefly, before rearranging his expression into a more amicable one. He didn’t move. “What, no foreplay?” He teased.

Draco crossed his arms. “That’s not what this is about, and you know it. I barely pinched you earlier, yet you reacted as though you’d been stabbed. Plus, I can smell it. Show me.”

Harry dejectedly focused on the floor. Draco clearly knew what he would find; why did Harry need to show him, too?

“Please?” Draco begged, putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder. Harry saw some blue in the corner of his eye, then looked up at Draco, seeing that there were the beginnings of tears in his eyes too.

Harry shifted uneasily. “It’s not that big of a deal, really.”

“Then why won’t you let me see?” He slid his hands down Harry’s side, which made his boyfriend shiver slightly and close his eyes, and toyed with the bottom edge of the sweater for a few moments. “May I?”

Harry sighed in resignation. “Whatever,” he said, flat-toned.

Draco lifted the sweater off, and gasped. “Harry… why?” A good portion of his upper right arm had many huge gashes on it, caked with dried blood. It looked like they’d been ripped apart a few times, as if Harry had been scratching at them.

Harry answered quietly, still looking at the floor. “I… I was… I don’t know. I guess I was feeling a bit... empty, again, and then I started thinking about all the things going on, and remembered last spring, and Tonks, which made me feel numb and panicky… and this had helped in the past, but it wasn’t helping, so I went deeper, and deeper… but it didn’t help this time.”

Draco hugged Harry tightly, taking care to avoid the wounds. Harry felt a tear fall onto his shoulder. Before he knew it, tears were falling from his eyes, too, and before he knew it, he was bawling… after a while, Harry’s tears stopped, though it was a while longer before Draco let go.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Draco put his arm around Harry’s shoulder, and steered him to the en-suite bathroom. Carefully he cleaned the wounds, which had some blood trickling out again after clearing the dried blood away, then spread on a gel that would speed up the healing, and finally wrapped a bandage around the upper arm securely. “Okay, finished.” Draco held his boyfriend close, brushing hair out of Harry’s eyes to plant a kiss on his forehead. “Better?”

Harry had been silent the entire time, and continued to be for another minute or so, letting himself be held by Draco. Finally he spoke up, whispering “Thank you.”

Draco merely kissed Harry’s forehead in response. He then went off to retrieve a snack for them, making his boyfriend promise to stay put. Harry flopped onto the bed, curling into a fetal position, trying not to think about the Ministry or Tonks or anything related. Of course, explicitly trying not to think about something nearly guarantees you will, thus Harry found himself flashing back to the previous Spring’s journey there, and all the events of it… before that battle, Harry didn’t think things could get much worse than the graveyard, but at least Cedric’s death had been quick and painless, rather than a carnal devouring by saw teeth. Tonks had been one of the few aurors who treated him like just a normal teenager, unlike the others. Harry wondered how many other people would end up unwitting casualties in this war, a war that looked more and more likely to involve those beings beyond human comprehension; he had a sinking feeling that this was only the start of the pain, like he was balanced on a tightwire that was about to snap. Harry didn’t know how much more pain he could take. Would he survive the wire snapping? Harry clutched his wounded arm tightly.

“Hey, Harry, stop that,” Draco called, pulling Harry’s hand from his wound. “You’re going to reopen it.”

“I don’t care.”

Draco sighed. “And why not?”

“I…” Harry was quiet for a moment, while Draco waited for him to continue. “I should have been the one to die last year,” he whispered. “I’m the one who upset the Old One. Tonks had just come to help me, and because of that, she got killed. I should have never gone there in the first place. If I hadn’t, she’d be alive. It’d be good if I died, anyway-- too many people have been hurt because of me.”

“Harry, we’ve been over this. Tonks knew what she was getting into. She knew the risks. She still chose to help, still chose to fight. Just as you fought, too, instead of running. You dying will accomplish nothing but make people miserable. Yes, miserable-- contrary to what you believe, many people love you, and your death will hurt them more than any little transgression you believe you have caused them. Do you want to hurt them? To hurt me?”

“...no.”

“Then don’t die. Here, sit up; I made you some soup.”

Harry sniffed. That did smell good, and he was pretty hungry, now that he thought about it. He sat up with Draco’s help, staring at the bowl Draco was holding out to him. “What’s in it?”

“My version of chicken noodle soup, made with all animal products. Stock from boiling chicken bones and oxtail-- which are still in it-- with some blood mixed in, noodles made from shredded tripe, cubed chicken, and a sprinkling of bone marrow.”

“That does sound good… where’d you get all those different animal parts though?”

Draco chuckled. “Well, when you have a vampire, a wolf, and a dog all living in the same place, you tend to find the refrigerators and cabinets are always heavily stocked with all types of meat products. We went shopping the first day I arrived, at a nearby muggle grocery-- the face on the cashier looked rather disconcerted, honestly, with how most of the cart consisted of meat and alcohol. Remus had to practically force Sirius to get fruits and vegetables; apparently, spending so much time as a dog for over a decade made him more partial to a dog’s diet over a human’s. Which I suppose works for our benefit.”

Harry nodded in agreement, taking a sip of the steaming broth, then paused in surprise. “Hey, this is your blood!”

Draco laughed. “Thought you might like that little touch.”

Harry ate every bit of the soup, licking the bowl clean. He sighed when finished. “That was delicious. Can you teach me how to make it?”

Draco smiled kindly. “Of course.” He frowned. “Oh, I almost forgot. Where’s whatever you used to do that to your arm?”

“You can't confiscate it,” Harry told him bluntly.

“Yes, I bloody well can. I’m not letting you have any sharp objects until we know you won’t try this again. Now, give me the object,” Draco enjoined.

“That’s going to be impossible.”

“Harry, stop being difficult.” Orange sparks. Annoyance? That seemed likely.

“I’m not; it’s actually impossible for you to take.”

Draco frowned, wrackspurts circling him. “What do you mean? Did you use your wand? They looked too rough for that.”

“No, not my wand. I did it like this.” Harry moved his forearm to his mouth, pressing his fangs in.

“Harry!” Draco pulled his arm away, looking at the mark, but it had been so light the skin had already healed. Draco glared at his boyfriend, voice harsh. “Don’t you dare do that to yourself again.”

“It’s more sanitary than a knife or glass, you know,” Harry pointed out, trying to make light of the situation.

Draco’s glare deepend. “That doesn’t make it okay.” A few red sparks fluttered off him.

Harry’s gaze fell downwards. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, seeming to wilt. “Please don’t be mad.”

Draco recognized the sheepish reaction, and willed himself calmer. “No, I’m sorry,” He told Harry, sitting down next to him. “I’m just worried about you, you know?”

Harry smiled meekly. “I know.” He scooched close to Draco and rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, who responded by snaking an arm around Harry’s waist. They sat like that in silence for a while, before Harry spoke up. “Thank you. For worrying.”

 

*******

 

“We should probably head back now, Harry,” Draco called over the sandy wind. “We’ve been here more than a day already. The limit is two, if we want to get back before they notice.”

“But we’re so close to finding the treasure,” Luna lamented, kicking a rock off the barren cliff of the highlands.

“We don’t even know if there is one, though. We’re going off a legend some goat-men told us… hey, did you see where Harry went?”

“He’s over there fighting a sand-beast thing.”

Draco sighed. “Again?” He called out to Harry: “Hurry up! We need to head back!”

Harry finished the worm off, grabbed the stone from its forehead, and trotted over to them, bloody sword casually swinging by his side.

“Give me that,” Draco demanded, swiping the weapon from his boyfriend. “You’re going to cut your leg off, flailing it around like that.”

Harry pouted dramatically. “It’s not like it’ll hold, being in dream-form.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Alright, come on, we have to get back, now. We can explore more next time.”

“We don’t need to,” Luna imparted. “The temple is right there.”

“Okay, that was definitely not there before.”

 

*******

 

Harry and Draco woke up slowly. Harry reached towards his neck, clutching a gold sun-shaped amulet with a large pink gem in the center, of which seemed to sparkle with light even in shadow. It had not been there when he had fallen asleep with the aid of the lucid dreaming potion.

“It was real, then,” Draco awed, sitting up and staring at Harry’s unclothed chest; both boys had decided to sleep in boxers.

Harry sat up too, and looked Draco in his eyes. “You know it always is.”

“Yes, but it’s still quite believable, isn’t it? We go there in dreams, yet return with actual items. That doesn’t seem strange to you?”

“We’re wizards. We do magic. Six years ago, that was fantasy to me; I’m somewhat inclined to believe anything can happen.”

“I suppose you have a point…” Draco turned towards the window, and swore. “It has to be nearly noon!”

“Noon? What? We weren’t there that long, were we? Aww, man, we gotta get downstairs. Maybe they didn’t notice?”

“Oh, we noticed.” Sirius stood in the doorway to their room, arms crossed, Lupin standing next to him holding the potion. Both appeared extremely irate, and their auras confirmed it.

“Er. Something wrong?” Harry asked sheepishly, playing innocent.

“Oh, no, not at all.” Sirius’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “We only woke to find two vampires who don’t sleep completely passed out, one with a heavily bandaged arm, with an unlabeled potion nearby. That’s not worrisome at all.”

“Not to mention the strange sigils burned into your chests,” Lupin added. “And that strange amulet you seem to have acquired in the past hour, despite being asleep.”

“Amulet? What amulet?” Harry said, the spot where it lay now appearing blank. He bit his tongue, hard, tasting blood. Crap. This was real.

Lupin pointed his wand at them. “Finite Incantatem.” The glamour faded. “That amulet.”

“You wouldn’t believe us if we told you,” Draco dismissed, as he crawled to the end of the bed to sit more comfortably, Harry following.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “No? Try us.”

“It’s more like… we don’t exactly know how to explain how it appeared,” Harry admitted. “We’re not even quite sure ourselves.”

“We got it in a dream,” Draco explained. 

“A dream. You found an amulet in a dream, that you shared, and it just appeared in reality,” Lupin clarified, clearly disbelieving.

“Okay, fine, we travelled spiritually into another world, and together with Luna we travelled on the White Ship to some desert highlands where we fought giant worms with swords and discovered a temple containing many traps, which we traversed to discover the amulet.”

Lupin and Sirius seemed to have no clue how to react to that confession. “Right… so where do the sigils fit in?” Sirius finally replied warily.

Harry smiled mischievously. Somehow, he wasn’t feeling upset. If they were found out anyway, perhaps they should see how much the adults would believe. The truth seemed stranger than fiction, after all-- perhaps they’d think it all an imaginative story. “That was from another dream-journey like this. We met a demon, who taught us a two-day ritual to become animagi in exchange for stealing back an item that belonged to her. It was a no-brainer, as two days there runs between only four and six hours here, typically. The ritual involved carving these onto our skin with hot blades.”

Draco caught onto what Harry was doing. “And another time, the White Ship met us on the Hogwarts Lake, and we went to the Dreamlands normally. We were in them nearly a month, which took four days here, though no one noticed we were gone, presumably because the Old Gods did something-- they were the ones who sent us there, because the cats of Ulthar were in trouble again, and we needed to save them.”

“We explore the Dreamlands a lot,” Harry informed them. “Once every week or so.”

Sirius and Lupin looked at the two vampires as if they had lost their minds. Lupin was first to speak up this time. “You get there using that potion, then?”

The boys gaped at Lupin. “You… you believe us?” asked Draco in awe.

“Considering you’re a vampire who has properties of some celestial being after ingesting its blood, nothing seems beyond reason anymore,” Lupin divulged.

“Plus,” Sirius chimed in, “we’ve heard you mention some of those things before… and have been looking into it. There’s very little information on it all, but it does seem these Dreamlands do exist, although they’re extremely dangerous and ruled by beings who don’t often take kindly to humans.”

“We’re not human, though, remember?” Harry told them. “Even Azathoth speaks to us-- his protection is why Kaalut didn’t eat me last year-- and Nyarlathotep has helped me quite a bit too.”

“Nyarlathotep has helped you?” Lupin raised his eyebrows. “From what we’ve read, he’s a shapeshifting trickster deity, and the entire reason various mythologies have trickster beings like Loki and Huehuecoyotl. His help could very well hurt as well, and often does.”

“I know. I still trust him. Well, when it comes to the more important things, at least. He has played a few small pranks. But the malicious betrayal kind he saves for humans only-- he considers magical beings his children, apparently, and treats them as such. That includes us. He’s very interested in me, as well, since I have cosmic magic in me. He gave me this earring to help control it.”

“Right…” Lupin looked a bit disconcerted at this information. “Just...be careful with that, then. Don’t let your guard down.”

“You’ve shifted away from the subject,” Sirius interjected, stars of annoyance around him. “The potion. What, specifically, is it?” There were no wrackspurts, rather some purple puffs of smoke where worry ovals usually would be. Disappointment, maybe?

“You know what it is already,” Harry stated flatly. “I can see it.”

“Yes, we know what it is,” Lupin admitted. “There’s only one potion that can make non-sleeping creatures, like vampires, sleep: the lucid-dreaming draught. Which is highly illegal.”

“Look, I let you do a lot of things I probably shouldn’t,” Sirius told the boys firmly. “But I cannot condone you using such a drug. Milder ones, like Aphrodite and some muggle ones, sure. But not this one. This is one of the most dangerous ones there is, and highly addictive to boot.”

“You’re not going to let them use those so-called ‘milder’ ones, either,” Lupin warned. “Illegal is illegal.”

“Oh, come on, we used those too as kids.”

“Yes, but we were stupid kids. We are not letting them fall into the same pitfalls we did.”

“Fine, whatever. As I was saying, you two will not be using this potion ever again. I don’t want you in the hospital, which using such a thing will likely land you in. Either from overdose or addiction.”

“We’re not human, though,” Harry pointed out. “We can handle it. We’ve been using it for months, just every week or so. In moderation and whatnot. Plus, it’s a special one from the Dreamlands.”

“That’s how it always starts,” Lupin pressed. “And getting it from that place only makes it more worrisome. I will be getting rid of this, and you are not to get anymore, understand?”

“Yeah, we understand,” both boys muttered. Understood they’d need to hide it better, more like.

“Now, your punishment,” Sirius told them, as they looked at him appalled. “Yes, I said punishment. No fresh animals or alcohol for the rest of the week. No exceptions.”

Harry and Draco stared at Sirius in disbelief, unsure how to respond to this new parental attitude of his.

“And try to sneak any, and we’ll tell Molly about the potion usage,” Lupin added. “Yes, I am completely serious,” he added, acknowledging their looks of horror. “Also, please give me that amulet… relax, I won’t take it forever; I just want to inspect it, to make sure it’s safe.”

“No.” Harry’s expression was dark.

Lupin raised his eyebrows. “‘No’? What do you mean, ‘no’? I promise you, I will give it back. Let me see it.” He walked towards Harry, palm out.

“No!” Harry called, louder, as he scrambled backwards to stand behind the bed. A strange wave of power pushed Lupin backwards.

“Possessiveness… I’d say that confirms the danger,” Sirius concluded.

“Fine, I won’t take it now,” Lupin conceded, knowing he couldn’t beat Harry in a physical fight, which he looked ready to do if the amulet were taken... Harry relaxed and moved back to sit on the edge of the bed, with Draco. “But please bring it to me before you go back to Hogwarts. Let’s go eat lunch now-- there’s a fun muggle place nearby we wanted to take you to.”

“Wait, one more thing,” Sirius interjected. “Harry. Your arm. What happened? Was it from the Dreamlands? Vampires tend to not get such from ordinary means, and pretty sure you haven’t been in a huge fight in this world...”

Harry merely looked away, unsure how to answer-- and really wanting not to speak of that. Draco caught Lupin’s eye and shook his head back and forth slightly.

“Sirius, why don’t we breech that topic later?” Lupin suggested, putting his hand on a confused Sirius’s arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Dumbledore shows a memory with a task assigned to it, an interesting potions mishap, and Dumbledore talks to their whole group about something...


	11. The Altered Memory and Dumbledore's Lecture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during book chapter 17, "A Sluggish Memory," and start of 18, "Birthday Surprises."

“Man, that was torture,” Harry complained, crashing on their lounge couch with a bottle of firewhiskey. “No alcohol and no fresh blood for nearly a whole week! We have to be more careful…”

“And get more potion,” Draco added. 

“More of what potion?” Blaise asked, entering the room. “Because if you mean nyx, I’ve got you well covered!”

“No, not nyx, but that is awesome, too!”

“Ah, the lucid dreaming draught, then? Sorry, but that’s one that’s even tougher to find than nyx. Trust me, I’ve tried.” Blaise had been told about that months prior. So had Neville. After all, they knew about the whole vampire thing, and White Ship, and whatnot. “But, I thought you still had quite a bit? And could replenish it when needed?”

Harry and Draco explained to Blaise what had happened over break. “Wow, that sucks,” he said in response. “No alcohol? For the whole week? Damn. You must have had a boring week.”

“Well, during the day Sirius and Lupin had actually planned a lot for us to do; we went to an amusement park, even!” Draco told him excitedly. “That’s a muggle thing with lots of games, as well as machines that you ride-- some even simulate flying and such. Some muggles are even scared of going on the machines! Which is hilarious, as they are much safer than using brooms or flying creatures. Also, a zoo, and mini-golf, and the beach…”

“We also went to a concert, and a bunch of different muggle restaurants and clubs,” Harry added. “Sirius seemed to want Draco to experience all he could of the muggle world.”

“More like, have you do all the things you should have done as a kid but your relatives wouldn’t let you do,” Draco pointed out.

Harry blushed. “That too. So, Blaise, you said you had some nyx…?”

 

*******

 

“Wow. Young Tom Riddle sounds terrifying,” Draco said, sitting on the lounge’s loveseat with Harry, after Harry had told him of a memory Dumbledore had shown him that night-- only one day after they returned to school. The memory was of Riddle meeting Morphin Gaunt-- his Uncle-- and learning of his birth father’s whereabouts. After is mere speculation, but all the evidence pointed towards the boy murdering his father and paternal grandparents and then framing his uncle for it.

“He certainly was,” Harry concurred. “I met him my second year, in the Chamber of Secrets-- a memory of his 16-year-old self had been preserved in an old diary, and was trying to steal Ginny’s lifeforce to revive. He had been possessing her all year to open the chamber.”

“So that’s what happened. Wow. And to think, I had thought the heir was you that entire time!”

Harry laughed. “YOU thought it was ME? I thought it was YOU!”

“Ah, yes, you always did have an obsession with me,” Draco teased.

Harry blushed. “In retrospect, I suppose so… and I still do, don’t I?” He winked at his boyfriend. “Anyway, that wasn’t the only memory he showed me…” Harry explained the memory of Riddle asking Slughorn something-- which had been clearly edited to show him refusing to answer the question and sending him away. According to Dumbledore, Slughorn had probably altered the memory because he regretted telling the budding Dark Lord about the thing he had been asking about. For good measure, a part at the start had been altered too, to make it sound that he said Riddle would become a bad wizard instead of a great one. 

“So he wants you to retrieve the true memory?” Draco confirmed, once Harry had finished. “But, he knows Riddle asked about those hork-rucus things. Can’t he infer that Slughorn told him, and look up what those are if he doesn’t know?”

“Horcruxes. Dumbledore seems to think more might have been asked than just the mere definition. I’m pretty sure he knows what they are already, but rushed me out before I could ask. Probably intentionally.”

“Well, then, I propose we do our own research.”

“Definitely. Let’s get started now!”

“Oh, no. I have other plans for you tonight, my kitten.”

“Oh? And what might those be?” Harry asked coyly.

“I think you know…” Draco slid his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, pulling him close.

“Tell me anyway.”

Still holding his waist with one arm, Draco slid his hand from Harry’s hair showly down his side as their lips pressed together, Harry practically melting into him, breaking the kiss once the hand came to rest on Harry’s inner thigh. “Would you rather I tell you, or show you?” he whispered sensually in Harry’s ear.

“Draco, you can do whatever you want to me…”

“And I will,” Draco cooed, proceeding to sink his fangs deep into Harry’s neck.

 

*******

 

A week had gone by, yet there had been no luck on researching horcruxes, as it seemed all books with any mention of them had been removed from the library. Harry was determined to find out about them, though. He and Draco had elicited the help of Blaise, Neville, Luna, and Hermione for that the very next day, calling a meeting in the lounge during lunch. Harry had told Ron about the memory too, separately, as he and Hermione still refused to be near each other unless forced to for class-- like now, in Potions. After which, at Ron’s suggestion, Harry planned to try the straightforward approach-- that is, simply ask Slughorn for the memory.

Today’s potions class was difficult, to say the least. They had to deconstruct unknown poisonous potions to create antidotes for them, using Golpalott’s Third Law, which was extremely complex and difficult to comprehend. The Prince’s book had no notes or instructions in that section, either, so Harry was on his own… although... 

Harry raised his hand, and Slughorn came over. “Sir, why do we need to learn this? If someone were poisoned, wouldn’t a bezoar work best, rather than doing something so complex and lengthy to create an antidote?” A bezoar was a stone found in goat stomachs, which could cure most poisons. 

Slughorn looked at Harry in surprise, then chuckled. “Yes, Harry, I suppose a bezoar would work for everything in here! They’re included in all first aid kits, in fact. Ten points to Gryffindor for realizing that! However, learning this is still important-- a bezoar is not fully effective on all poisons, and this will also become the basis for brewing antidotes to non-poisons, particularly potions-gone-wrong, which is all too common. Why, just the other day, I had to create an antidote for a third-year who somehow messed up a simple laughing draught so badly that it gave him seven sets of cat-ears! ...Oh. Oh, dear. Weasley, I’d get away from that potion if I were you, it looks a little volatile...” Slughorn shuffled over to Ron.

Harry leafed through his book some more, going over the theorey again, and smiled when he saw the Prince had had the same idea as him: “just shove a bezoar down their throats.”

Draco smiled at Harry. “I take it your remembered the goat-man’s song?” 

Harry smiled back, and began humming a tune. In the Dreamlands once, they had met a strange goat-man who had been selling bezoars; to aid in this, he had composed a song reminiscent of the commercial jingles heard on the radio: “Bezoars, bezoars, everyone loves bezoars! When you’re poisoned, they’re your cure, so you won’t lie dead on the floor!”

“Hey, Harry, are you understanding this stuff?” Ron asked, once Slughorn had saved him from creating a potentially dangerous explosion.

“Er, a little, I guess. It’s very different than just brewing them though.”

“And the Prince can’t help with it!” Hermione cheered.

Harry sighed. “As I’ve said before, half the time the tips listed are common sense ones that I’d have done anyway, like crushing a pod to get juice out versus cutting it; sometimes the tips help, yes, but it’s not cheating-- just alternative instructions. Which, you could use too, you know-- I’ve been telling you all when there’s a good tip; you’re the only one who hasn’t used any.”

“You know, I just realized something,” Draco mused. “Snape wrote all the instructions on the board instead of using the book, right? Well, I recall a few times checking on them in the book later on and finding differences. I wonder if he used the ones the Prince made? I know the book is older, but maybe he borrowed it too.”

Hermione’s mouth dropped open. “You mean we weren’t using approved instructions?! What if something went wrong?!”

“Hermione, Snape’s a master at potions,” Blaise pointed out. “Pretty sure he knew what he was doing when he gave us alternative instructions. He could probably write and get published a book on them, actually, if he decided to.”

They brewed in silence for a while. Harry’s potion was somewhat okay, but still lacking. He performed some more spells, considered the other ingredients… it seemed his solution would work, but have a side effect of causing throat damage; he needed a way to nullify that, something with healing magic that wouldn’t interact with the other things… suddenly, he had an idea. “[Hey, Draco, vampirism requires a bite and blood mixing, right? If someone merely swallowed some blood, that wouldn’t turn them?]” he asked in dream-language.

Draco looked at Harry, curiously. “[It shouldn't. Why?]”

“[I need something with healing properties for the potion… I know it’s unorthodox to use it, but the other items would interact oddly, so I thought a drop of my blood could work.]”

Draco thought for a moment. “[Yes, that might work. Try it.]”

So, Harry subtly put a few drops of his blood in the potion… then instantly regretted it. “[Crap. Draco, I forgot that I also have Old One blood… apparently, that interacts in a different way...]”

Class ended early that day, as a team of Ministry officials from the Experimental Creature division of the Department of Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures had to be called out to apprehend the strange flying squid-cyclops that the potion had formed into. Aurors had to be called out to help, as it attacked anyone who came near it with lazerbeams emitting from the ends of each of its fifteen tentacles, seemed to resist most magic, and merely respawned after being crushed by a desk. 

Needless to say, Harry would need to wait until the next potions class to ask about horcruxes.

 

*******

 

“I really hope Snape didn’t catch the lie,” Harry muttered to Draco on the way to their lounge, though he doubted that. Aside from the potions mishap, which had made the paper the next day-- thankfully leaving out which student had caused it to form-- the remainder of the week had been fairly boring. Still no luck on learning what horcruxes were, and he hadn’t been able to question Slughorn yet either. Harry missed the dream potion; that had made things interesting. It gave them days-long journeys of adventure to break up boring weeks like this one. He wasn’t sure if that was the one Snape discovered, or the nyx, but he hoped it was the former, since that had already been ‘dealt’ with. Harry lamented what would happen if he lost the nyx too. They had just come from occlumency lessons, with Snape asking them a bunch of random questions he did not know answers to, asking them to mix up telling the truth or lying while he tried to determine which was what-- there was a mix of simple questions and more complex ones, some even embarrassing, to try to throw them off. The goal was to have them all appear as true to Snape even as he used legilimency. However, when a question on if they’d done drugs came up, Harry flinched and thought of it before quickly collecting himself and saying no; the brief flash of surprise--yellow squares-- crossing Snape’s visage confirmed Snape had caught them in the lie, though didn’t say anything. Harry hoped he hadn’t thought anything too incriminating.

Blaise, Luna, and Neville were waiting in the lounge for the boys. Friday nights would be their regular nyx nights, they had decided. Around 8pm, right after occlumency. A nice entry to the weekend; no alcohol, just nyx-- well, other than the shot they mixed it with-- but maybe some alcohol after, if they were in the mood, although they usually were. Luna and Harry usually were, that is-- but it was easy to convince the others to join in.

Soon after the five had taken their shots, though, someone entered the room.

Hermione frowned. “There you are. Dumbledore’s looking for you.”

Harry blinked, trying to focus, which was a little difficult with his veins full of liquid metal and phasing between there and the universe’s edge. “Ah, okay.” He got off the couch and strolled over.

“Not just you, Harry-- he’s been looking for all five of you.”

The five sheepishly stood, following her out the door, all speculating on what Dumbledore could want them for, in between muttering unrelated things. Luna thought he had some adventure to the moon planned; Harry, however, felt it might be related to them flying on the thestrals the other day. Wait, had that really happened? He hoped they could keep their wits about them enough to prevent him knowing they were high-- good thing they decided not to get drunk as well. Hermione was looking at them all peculiarly, as though they were speaking in tongues. Which, maybe they were-- Harry couldn’t tell. When they reached Dumbledore’s office, Hermione left, and they ascended the swirling staircase. Dumbledore looked grim when they entered his office. Snape was there, too, an unreadable expression on his face, but his aura clearly showing heavy seriousness. McGonagall, as well, was waiting, a deep frown on her face. Great; that couldn’t be good.

Dumbledore got straight to the point. “It has come to my attention that you five may have been engaging in unscrupulous activities here at Hogwarts. Activities the Ministry would not be very happy to find out about, at all, and that we do not tolerate here. This is first and foremost a learning environment, not a place to engage in illegal activities.”

“Er. What do you mean?” Harry asked, putting on the most innocent face he could muster. Luna was humming an odd tune, Draco had wandered to a shelf to examine a spinning item, clearly having forgotten why they were in that room, Blaise looked like he was sleeping standing up, and Neville was staring off into space.

“Harry, do not play coy,” Snape snapped. “I saw your mind. I saw that you all did drugs together before, and probably still do.”

“Er. Are we in trouble?” Harry was having trouble focusing again; there were space colors swirling around, and he was catching glimpses of the universe, despite trying his hardest to stay focused.

“No,” Dumbledore said. “I merely wish to impart upon you that this behavior will not be acceptable, and if discovered using illegal substances in the future, you will be punished severely. Not expelled, don't worry about that--”

“Unless,” Snape whispered dangerously, “the Ministry manages to discover their use.”

“Ah, yes, that is sadly true… well. If you have any more of whatever substance you happen to be using, please turn it over…”

“I don’t think they are paying attention,” McGonagall observed. “In fact, I’d wager that they are under the influence at this very moment.”

Harry looked at her, wide-eyed, and stepped back… right into Blaise, who toppled over along with Harry. Draco tapped an instrument on the shelf, which began emitting horrible screams. Neville shouted, being snapped out of his stupor at that, and Luna merely continued humming that strange tune…

Harry felt someone clutch his arm tightly, shaking him. “Hey, Harry, don’t zone out now,” Draco whispered in his ear. “Do you want them to suspect we’ve been using tonight?”

“Huh? What’s going on?” How much of that had Harry imagined? All of it? It never went for that long before, had it? Or had it actually been long in reality? Probably not, if they’d just arrived here, as it appeared they had. Harry looked around. His friends looked focused, and everyone looked like they had just sat down in conjured chairs. Dumbledore was the only adult there-- McGonagall and Snape were not. Harry didn’t see any suspicion, disappointment, or anger emanating from the old wizard, either… wait a second. Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were there, too? Then this wasn’t about the nyx? Harry bit his lip, hard, to confirm he wasn’t still dreaming. Draco pulled him to sit on a chair.

“So, why are we here?” Blaise asked casually.

“Hmm, how to put this,” Dumbledore mused. “It is my understanding that you have spoken to some of the celestial beings you call the Old Ones and the Old Gods, correct?”

“Oh, the Old Gods have not spoken to us since the battle at the Ministry,” Luna told him. “Nyarlathotep told me that my great-grandmother did not like how they directed us to go there, so demanded they no longer try to interact with me or my friends if they did not want to die very painful deaths.”

“I see… “ Dumbledore seemed to be briefly at a loss for words. “Well, that certainly makes things a bit easier. After doing some research into such beings, it is my belief that you ought to cease conversing with these creatures, and most certainly should not follow any of their advice.”

Blaise shrugged. “Sure, I don’t mind that. The Old Ones don’t really speak to humans much, anyway, and as Luna said, we haven’t heard from the Old Gods in a while.”

“If we hear from them again, we won’t speak to them,” Neville promised.

“Well, I never heard them in the first place,” Ron pointed out. Hermione and Ginny said similar.

The remaining three looked uneasy as Dumbledore stared at them, expecting the same answer.

“I’m sorry, but that won’t work for us,” Draco stated bluntly.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. “And why, my boy, is that?”

Harry answered that, shifting uneasily as he did so. “We’re... too far involved with them already. Plus Luna’s related to one.”

“Ah, yes, so I’ve heard. However, Luna, you have not met this great-grandmother of yours, correct? There should be no reason to keep contact with the other ones, in that case.”

“But if I do that, we can’t visit the Dr--” Luna was interrupted as Harry flung his hand over her mouth. 

“[That isn’t wise to mention],” he told her, in the dream-tongue. “[Remember, he doesn’t know we can travel there at will; if he did, he’d surely try to prevent it.]”

“[Oh, that is true… I will not say any more about that.]”

Dumbledore frowned. “That is the language learned from that ritual, correct? You are able to still speak it fluently?”

“Yes,” Harry admitted. “It’s magical, like my parseltongue.”

“Wait, you still can?” Neville asked, confused. “I can’t.”

“Neither can I,” Blaise divulged.

“It must be because you have no one to speak it with, whereas we--” Luna’s mouth was once again covered by Harry’s hand.

“Or the method you learned it,” Blaise pointed out. “You know, ritual versus--” He got the hand over his mouth this time, via Draco.

Dumbledore sighed. “I’m afraid I must implore you to not speak that magical language anymore, either. We merely do not know enough about it or these beings, and I fear they are dangerous.”

“Yeah, we know they’re dangerous to humans,” Harry admitted. “But Neville and Blaise already promised to cut contact. So what’s the problem?”

Dumbledore re-adjusted his glasses. “You said you were too involved with them, and keep covering their mouths when they try to speak. Please explain what you meant, and what it is you do not wish to divulge.”

“No.”

“No? My boy, it is not an option. This is a safety matter…”

“I said no. Drop it!” Harry drew up the same force he had with the Minister as he imparted these words.

Dumbledore closed his eyes for a bit, breathing hard for a moment, yet smiled when he opened them… however, quite a few red sparks flew from him, too; the old wizard was masking his true feelings. “Harry, my boy, you seem to forget that I am an extremely skilled occlumens. Such a magical exertion of will simply won’t work on me.” He frowned. “Though I would much appreciate it if you divulged where you learned such an ability; the force of that was stronger than an imperius…" Harry cursed to himself at how idiotic he had been.

“Why are you so angry?” Harry blurted out, without thinking.

Dumbledore turned to Harry, a curious expression in his eyes. “Why would you think I am angry? I am fairly certain I am not.”

“The amount of angnats around you give it away,” Luna revealed.

“So many red sparks…” Harry muttered in amazement. “Oh, you have some wrackspurts too, now. Luna, I think we’re confusing him. And half the others, actually-- look at all of the fuzzy things.” Blaise, Draco, and Neville were looking about in wonder, too-- Nyx let you see such, after all.

“No, just you are confusing us,” Ginny piped up. “Luna, we’re used to saying such. Not you.”

“It’s nice, having a friend who can also see them without the aid of equipment,” Luna mused.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. “You can see auras now, Harry?”

“Er. Yes. I mean, no. Well, maybe?” Harry was having trouble focusing; suppressing the nyx was difficult, especially for this long. It appeared as though the others might be having trouble, too, except Luna, although it was always difficult to tell with her.

“Harry, are you okay?” Dumbledore’s anger had been replaced by concern.

“Yeah, fine, don’t worry,” Harry lied. He had heard Dumbledore ask the question, but couldn’t really see him anymore… as he flitted to the galaxy’s edge, he could hear instructions; he was not yet to divulge his relationship with Nyarlathotep or Azathoth to Dumbledore, nor that he had their magic. Well, of course-- he wouldn’t be so moronic as to do that anyway. The two beings imparted approval of Harry’s wiseness to the situation, and he returned more to reality.

“No, I do not think you are,” Dumbledore concluded. He narrowed his eyes at Harry, then glanced around, lingering on Blaise, Draco, and Neville. “In fact, a number of you seem quite out of sorts. What were you doing before I called you here?”

“What we always do Friday night,” Luna divulged. “N--” She, of course, got a hand over her mouth again, this time via Neville.

Dumbledore sighed. “Of course, it would be that,” he muttered. Crap; Dumbledore was a skilled legilimens, wasn’t he? ‘N--’ would be all he needed. “Harry, Draco, Blaise, Neville, and presumably Luna as well: You are to hand over your entire stock of whatever drugs you possess-- I will know if you do not-- and will be receiving two weeks detention. I will inform your heads of house to let them decide what the detentions will entail.” Harry again bit his cheek-- yep, still not dreaming this.

“Sir, Harry and I have private lessons with Snape thrice per week,” Draco reminded him.

“Ah, yes. You shall make up the time with extra long ones on the weekend, then. I do hope you do not indulge in illegal substances within Hogwarts again.” Dumbledore’s tone was light, but serious. “Or anywhere, for that matter. In the future, punishment may not be so light. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Professor,” they all confirmed, though none were serious about that. Or at least, Harry wasn’t… Luna had informed them on the way over that she had gotten more dreaming potion on her last trip, which Harry and Draco undoubtedly would be using.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Apparartion lessons leads to the revelation of a new ability! A discussion with Nyarlathotep! A dark book leads to a jarring discovery! Ron is poisoned! An unexpected and dangerous journey!


	12. Apparition Mishaps and Spiked Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during book chapter 18, "Birthday Surprises".

Harry finally managed to ask Slughorn about the horcruxes, a week after creating the squid thing. The attempt failed miserably; Slughorn shut down and left abruptly after telling Harry there was nothing more to the memory, no matter what Dumbledore thought. Harry figured he’d wait a week or so before trying again, letting Slughorn think Harry wasn’t that serious about it, that it was so meaningless to him he’d forgotten about it. Slughorn seemed to forget too, for he only had been wary around Harry for a few days, although no meetings of the Slug Club occurred at all in January; perhaps he hadn’t forgotten after all, suspecting Harry would try to corner him after one. Otherwise, the rest of the month had been somewhat monotonous. They couldn’t risk using the nyx yet (Blaise had not turned it all over, apparently) nor the lucid dreaming draught, which Harry lamented. He missed the Dreamlands… if only there were another way to get there!

“Hey, pay attention,” Draco muttered. This Saturday, the second one of February, marked their first apparition lesson, although the instructor’s voice was fairly boring and easy to lose focus on. Most of it was safety instructions. Couldn’t they just get straight to the practical portion?

Finally, they were instructed to line up, with wooden hoops five feet from each. “Remember-- Destination, Determination, and Deliberation!” the instructor called. “Now, go!”

Everyone spun around, with many tripping over their robes to land flat on their arses… except Harry, who found himself in the hoop, with everyone who wasn’t on the floor staring. There had been no trademark BANG. Harry tried again, returning back to the original spot. The instructor seemed to not know how to respond at first, but then instructed Harry to try a slightly longer jump, ten feet away this time. Harry spun, but this time his mind wandered at the last second…

No way. No way Harry was here. He was daydreaming again, right? No, he could feel pain, and smell things. Wonderful things. He was in a rainforest, by a sparkling orange waterfall with purple trees beside it. Red and neon-pink vines snaked around some of the trees, and the underbrush consisted of mostly yellow and navy plants. He knew this place-- he had been here once before, via the White Ship. Harry had apparated into the Dreamlands… should he explore? No, it was foolish to do so without another person, especially here. Harry spun in place, thinking of Hogwarts… nothing happened. He tried again; same result.

“You’ll need to wait for the related magic to recharge to make the trip back.”

Harry turned towards the voice. “Nyarlathotep,” Harry acknowledged. He was in pharaoh form. “What do you mean? I didn’t try to get here; it was an accident!”

“Yes, I am aware. Do not fret though, my child; I will see you back, this time. Do not expect me to always be here, though; this time, it was mere coincidence, as I desired to check on you anyway, happening to arrive as you tried out your teleportation magic… apparition, I believe you call it? I never anticipated you’d be able to travel here with it though; I am impressed and delighted. Very few are able to shift physically between here and there like you and I, although yours seems to be limited.”

“How limited?”

“That, I do not know. You will have to experiment with such… though I recommend in the future, going to the White Ship rather than this place, as you probably will only be able to take one non-sleeping creature with you, which does not include Luna-- I have tried that, but she is too much human, so to travel here she must traverse the dream-steps in her sleep, use the White Ship, or find a gate. If you go to the White Ship directly, you can ask it to retrieve Luna. Now, let us return; this jungle is not safe for one to linger alone in.”

“Wait… I have a question for you. Er. A few actually, though they connect…” when Nyarlathotep didn’t stop him, Harry continued. “Why do you help us? Me, Draco, and Luna. Why do you provide us with protection? Azathoth, too. We’re ants in relation to you, aren’t we?”

Nyarlathotep looked thoughtful for a moment. “I like Earth. Humanity, magical beings… all so interesting. Humanity can be rather annoying at times, and most the others loathe them, but I find them fun. And you! You are the most fascinating of them all. Four types of magic now swirl within you! You have swallowed Old One blood, and possess special powers due to it-- and after you apparating here, that is even more apparent! Only a select few have the ability to do that; other than you, they are all cosmic beings, as you call us. You are a unique specimen, utterly fascinating.”

“So… I’m an experiment?”

“I did not say that. I do not wish to do things to you, merely observe what is going on, and perhaps sometimes play with you. Like a pet; that is a good term, is it not? You are my pet. So is Draco; I am sure many have told you this, but you are an utterly adorable couple.”

“I see... er, so what about Luna?”

“I care for her because she is Karakal’s great-granddaughter, and Karakal is one of the Dreamlands gods whom I reside over. She is… family, you could say. I am glad she is free from the pesky influence of the Old Gods of Earth; they are very annoying creatures. Now, let us leave, for although a mere minute has passed in your world, Draco must be in a panic.” 

“Wait. One more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Why do I zone out sometimes, and imagine things that aren’t happening? Is that due to my Old One magic?”

“Yes, and no. I am not certain, as such a creature as yourself existing is unprecedented, but I believe that potion you were using to dream had a special effect on you; the magic seems to cause a bit of it, but the dreaming potion greatly exasperated that. Now that you don’t need it, I expect that will calm down… ah, and now I have remembered one more thing. I think it would do you well to wear that amulet you discovered; it can enhance your abilities.”

“Are there side effects?”

“Ah, you are sharp, asking such. However, I do not know.”

Nyarlathotep put his hand on Harry’s shoulder, and they were suddenly back in the Great Hall.

“Harry!” He was practically tackled by Draco. “Thank you,” he told the pharaoh, who merely nodded in response before vanishing in a dark swirl. “What happened?” he asked his boyfriend as he released him from the hug.

“[I apparently can apparate to the Dreamlands.]”

Draco’s eyes grew wide. “[Holy crap. Seriously?]”

“[Yes. It’s very limited though; I can’t return immediately after. It’s lucky Nyarlathotep was there to bring me back, or who knows how long I’d have been there...]”

 

*******

 

Harry slipped quietly into his own dorm in the wee hours of the morning on March 1st, as he tried to do most mornings, though made extra sure to return earlier than usual today. It was Ron’s birthday, and Harry did not want his best friend thinking he’d forgotten upon waking to see an empty bed. 

He made use of the few remaining hours until his dorm-mates awoke by reading one of the books he had ‘borrowed’ from Grimmauld Place over the holidays, which he had forgotten about until digging through his trunk to find Ron’s present. He and Draco had explored the library there that last week of break, and discovered a small sealed door in back which apparently led to Sirius’s mother’s private collection of dark tomes. Sirius had threatened to ban them from the library if they even attempted to unseal the door, though he was confident they couldn’t anyway, as not even Dumbledore had been able to break the seals. Naturally, the two vampires took that as a challenge; although it hadn’t been much of one, since apparently only the door had been guarded, making it easy for two kitten animagii to sneak in through the vents-- a convenient loophole, as they technically hadn’t tried to unseal the door. Currently heated with magic or not, it had originally been a muggle house (one of the Blacks a few generations back had coveted it, thus “persuaded” the muggle give it to them), meaning there were still many vents and ducts throughout-- Harry had suspected such had been forgotten about when sealing the room, and his suspicion had proven correct. As not to risk Sirius or Lupin learning that they’d gotten in, Harry and Draco had packed some away in their trunks to examine later-- true, they were on dark magic, but knowledge was knowledge, and besides, wouldn’t knowing more about such help in their defense against it?

This book seemed to be about creating dark objects. Scanning the table of contents, a word caught Harry’s eye. His heart raced. Had their answers been in his trunk all along? Harry flipped to the chapter titled “The Horcrux: A Path to Quasi-Immortality,” and voraciously read, eyes growing wider and wider with every paragraph. Harry closed the book once he finished, staring at the cover, thinking. An object that sealed part of your soul away, so you couldn’t die, not fully, as that piece could be used to revive. No wonder Voldemort would be curious about such. The creation of one was… oddly simple, objectively, albeit utterly horrid. No doubt the dark wizard had created one himself, maybe more… wait. The diary; had that been one? Come to think of it, the age of the “memory” had been the same age he’d have been shortly after killing Myrtle… the way it had been feeding off of Ginny’s life sounded like the process the book had described to revive a horcrux, too, as well as the way it died when its vessel did. Yet that was before he asked Slughorn about them; so whatever the question he had asked had been, it had not been on their creation… wait. He’d had that ring on, the one he had taken from Morfin after killing his father. Did that mean he’d used his Father’s death to make one at the point, as well? Could you even make more than one? The book said nothing about that... Oh. That was probably what he wanted to know, then. Did Dumbledore realize this? Who was Harry kidding, of course Dumbledore knew; he had gone off and found the ring, hadn’t he? Dumbledore was probably the one who broke the ring, and the damage to his hand most likely a side effect, as there was no way Voldemort wouldn’t curse the objects he used to protect them from destruction… wait a second.

Harry flipped the book to a chapter he’d passed by on cursed rings. Yep… there it was. That was probably the curse… but if so, that meant Dumbledore could have nearly died, and was lucky to only have the hand damaged. Why had he put the ring on without checking for such? Certainly Dumbledore would have known it had protections upon it…

“Morning, Harry!” Ron called from the next bed over. “What are you reading?”

Harry quickly tucked the book under his pillow. “Just homework...oh, Happy birthday! Here.” He tossed the wrapped gift over.

Ron glanced at Harry suspiciously. “It’s a Saturday morning, before breakfast, and you’re doing homework? Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second… oh, thanks, these are great!” He had immediately opened Harry’s gift, which had contained quidditch gloves. A small pile of other gifts were by his bed, too, probably delivered by the house-elves.

“Okay, fine, it isn’t homework,” Harry admitted. “Hey, Neville, wait up,” he called to the boy about to leave for breakfast; Seamus already had, and Dean apparently had not slept there-- not that he’d let Ron know that, as he had a pretty good guess as to where Ginny’s boyfriend had been last night, if not in their dorm. This left just the three of them.

Harry pulled the book out. “I found out what they are. Horcruxes, that is.”

Neville stared at the book, surprised. “A how-to manual on dark object creation was in the library?”

“Er, no, I didn’t get it there. Anyway, apparently, they’re things that you store part of your soul in, so you can’t fully die.”

“They’re WHAT?” Ron burst out. “And- and you-know-who was asking-- you think he made one?”

“I know he did; remember the diary? That was definitely one. I’m positive there’s more though; when he asked Slughorn about them, he had already made the diary-- so he wasn't asking about what they are or how they’re made.”

“How are they made?” Neville wondered, declining Ron’s offer of a chocolate cauldron, as Harry did too.

Harry cringed. “The short version is that the act of murdering someone in cold blood fractures the soul, and then a ritual is used to further separate that piece and move it to a container. Please do not ask for a more detailed explanation.”

“So… he’s immortal? No one can kill him?” Ron paled, munching on a chocolate cauldron.

“Well, technically he can be killed, but he wouldn’t stay dead-- hence why the book calls it ‘quasi-immortality’. You’re not immortal, just have back-up copies that can be used to revive you.”

“But if he does die and revive, can’t he just make another one?” Neville asked. “So for all intents and purposes, he’s immortal.”

“I don’t know; the book doesn’t say anything about creating more than one. Maybe that’s what he tries to ask Slughorn… I need to figure out how to get that memory.”

“Better do it soon,” Neville said grimly. “If what Luna says is true, Dumbledore only has a few months left.” 

“Neville,” Harry warned, glancing towards Ron. Luna had told Neville about her ability, but not Ron, and he wasn’t sure if she cared who knew. 

But Ron didn’t seem to be paying attention, anyway… in fact, he was staring off into space, and when Neville suggested they get breakfast, told them he wasn’t hungry. Well, he had eaten half a box of candy, hadn’t he? However, then he began to look very pallid, and ramble about someone not noticing him, eventually determined to be Romilda Vane, whom he then began claiming he loved. 

“This is a joke, right?” Harry laughed, heading towards the door. 

Neville shook his head, exasperated, “Come on, Ron, you have apparition lessons after breakfast; don’t want to do them only on a stomach of chocolates.”

“Wait…” Harry turned. “Ron, where did you get-- ugh!” 

Ron’s first slammed into Harry’s cheek. “Don’t you dare make fun of her!” He raised his fist again...

Harry reacted to the threat without thought, hissing as he grabbed Ron’s arm and twisted, flipping him onto the floor and pinning him there, baring his teeth… which had not had the retainer put on yet.

“Harry, NO!” Neville called.

Harry paused, fangs centimeters from Ron’s neck; he leapt up with inhuman speed as he realized what he had been about to do, backing into the wall, shaking. “I- I’m sorry, I--” Had Ron seen the fangs? He must have! He’d nearly killed his best friend, who hadn’t even known what he was doing… Since when did his means of responding to a punch go straight to killing the offender? Hadn’t that happened in Hogsmeade, too, with Mundungus? He had thought his anger was under control now… He clutched at the pink-gemmed amulet he had on, trying to ground himself. It seemed to calm him a little.

“Harry? Hey, Harry, you okay?” Neville called. “Look, Ron’s fine, I don’t think he even knows what’s happening, he’s onto Romilda again… Harry?”

“C-Calming draught,” Harry gasped, eyes closed as he pointed to his trunk shakily. Neville ran over and searched through Harry’s trunk, emerging with a little vial. “This is it, right?”

Harry nodded, and gulped it down, nearly spilling it. “S-sorry a-about that,” he stuttered out, as he regained his composition. “Sorry. I… that shouldn’t have happened. I thought those were over with. And I don’t know why I reacted that way to Ron.”

Neville shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize; he attacked you first, and you merely reacted. Oh, and here, you need this, too.” Neville handed Harry his retainer.

“Yes, but I shouldn't have reacted like that! If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have killed him…” Harry put his retainer back in.

“I don’t think you actually would have,” Neville reasoned.

“No you don’t under--”

“Don’t even try; you can’t convince me otherwise. Now, let’s get Ron help.”

Harry blinked. “R-right… okay. Er. Slughorn. The chocolates were spiked, she and her friends were all giving me love-potion spiked things before Christmas, hoping for a party invite. They must have fallen from my trunk when I got the book out, landing in his gift pile. Slughorn will have an antidote.”

Ron, however, did not want to go. Eventually they tried telling him Romilda would be there, which got him to follow instantly. On the way, Lavender had been waiting to go to breakfast with Ron, but he pushed her and said something about meeting Romilda. Harry cringed at that; Ron would have a tough time with her later.

Slughorn was still half-asleep when they got to his quarters, but soon agreed to help Ron. He quickly brewed up an antidote, and told Ron it was for the nerves so he’d be ready when Romilda showed up. So, Ron drank; after a minute, Ron’s face contorted into a look of horror as he realized what had happened, and he collapsed into a nearby chair, seeming devastated. Slughorn decided to break open a nice bottle of mead to share, in light of Ron’s birthday, to try to cheer him up. After the drinks were handed out, Harry glanced over to find Ron was not waiting for the toast; at the same moment he noticed an odd scent from the glasses, and had a sudden feeling of unease...

“Don’t drink that!” Harry make a dive for Ron’s mug as he was about to sip, pushing it out of his hands and spilling it all over him.

“Hey! What was that for?!” Ron complained.

“The mead is poisoned,” Harry said, as he stepped backwards… right onto the fallen mug, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards into the glass coffee table, which shattered. Harry picked himself up. “Er. Sorry about that,” he told Slughorn. “Don’t drink the mead; it smelled weird, so I’m pretty sure it's poisoned... What’s wrong?”

“You don’t feel that?” Neville asked, gesturing to Harry’s arm, looking faint. He, Ron, and Slughorn were staring at Harry, looking concerned. 

Then, it dawned on Harry: he had fallen through a glass table. Inevitably, he’d have some cuts and scratches, though most tiny ones didn’t register and healed quickly. But he did feel one this time… Harry touched his neck, which felt wet, and his hand came back bloody. Harry swore. From the pain level, he could tell it wasn’t that bad, to a vampire, and would be healed within the day… but to a human? A human would be in severe pain, potentially unconscious, and would probably require professional medical attention.

“Harry, you mentioned you smelled poison in the mead?” Slughorn asked, eyes shrewd, holding a glass of it and taking a whiff. “It smells perfectly normal to me… In fact, I’d say someone would need a beyond-human sense of smell to distinguish such.”

“R-really? I don’t know what you mean, my senses are perfectly normal,” Harry lied.

“Harry… earlier, today, when we fought,” Ron whispered. “I thought I imagined it, but… well, I could have sworn you had fangs.”

“What do you mean?” Neville piped up. “He has normal teeth, look.” At the prompt, Harry smiled, showing perfectly human-looking teeth. “Also,” he sniffed the mead. “This seems rather fishy to me as well, and Harry’s pain tolerance is probably very high after all the things he’s been through. Nothing unusual.”

Ron looked at Neville suspiciously. “You know what’s going on, don’t you? I couldn’t hear what you said, but you handed him something that he put in his mouth! That hid them, didn’t it?”

“Harry! Where are you going?” Slughorn called, as Harry fled out the doors.

“Harry? What’s wrong?” Draco asked, running down the hallway towards him. “I heard a crash… you’re bleeding!”

“No time for that!” The visibly panicking Harry grabbed his boyfriend and, barely thinking, spun in a circle…

 

*******

 

“Gaah! Why! Why, of all places, did you bring us here?!”

“I don’t know! I panicked! I wanted to go somewhere safe!”

“Safe? You call this safe? This is the opposite of safe! Hurry and recharge or whatever so we can get back!”

“I don’t exactly have control over that!”

The two were being chased by shadow creatures through the same strange-colored jungle Harry had gone to during his first apparition lesson, although then it had been daytime-- now it was night, making all the colors look even stranger in the light of the twin moons, which were creating strange shadows as they were on near-opposite sides of the sky; the effect of the two light sources, one reddish gold and one purplish silver, creating criss-crossing shadows through the jungle was completely foreign to the two vampires, and they frequently became confused as to which direction they were heading.

Finally, Harry and Draco emerging in a bright meadow, tiny glowing flowers all around them. They could feel the invisible shadow creatures at the edge of the jungle, not daring to enter the light. 

Harry flopped onto the ground. “Finally…”

“Don’t relax yet,” Draco warned. “There could be any number of other unknown horrors in there that don’t fear the light.”

“Mhmmm… Maybe I’ll sleep a little first…”

Draco rolled his eyes. “You’re a vampire. You can’t sleep.”

“Then why do my eyes feel heavy…”

Draco sniffed the air, then frowned. “Great. Harry, come on, out of the flowers; I think they’re not exactly benign.”

“Yeah, fine, whatever.” Harry reluctantly let Draco help him up, scratching at the wound on his neck.

“Let me see that.” Draco stepped towards Harry. “Ugh, that’s brutal… you said you fell through a glass table?” The two hadn’t been able to talk much upon arriving, due to the creatures.

“Yeah. I didn’t even notice I was badly hurt, though, and when they pointed that out, and began piecing together other things, I fled.”

“There’s still a piece of glass in here, and the skin is healing over it, no wonder it itches… here, I’m going to pull it out, it might sting…”

Harry winced as Draco drew the shard out. “I can’t believe all that happened; this was supposed to be a normal day, we were going to go hunting and whatnot. Ah, and the thunderbird is being taken away today, too; we were supposed to be there for that…” The bird had grown to be taller than Hagrid, and caused a few unusual storms that caught the Ministry’s attention, so it was decided that some specialists from North America would come over to bring it back to its natural desert habitat.

“Well, maybe we can still see it off; it’s only been, what, ten minutes over there?” Draco licked the wound, cleaning it with the antiseptic saliva vampires possessed.

“Well, it’s not that big of a deal to me; the bird hated me, so I’m rather glad to be rid of it. Hagrid might need some comfort though.” They never knew the true reason the bird felt such hate towards Harry, but they had a number of theories: Harry, being a parseltongue, was close to snakes, which were the sworn enemy of thunderbirds; Harry preferred to hunt birds over mammals; and-- a theory only Draco, Harry, and Luna knew, and the most likely case-- thunderbirds were extremely sensitive to supernatural danger, which Harry’s foreign cosmic magic could definitely be interpreted as.

Draco finished with the wound, wrapping it the best he could with a bit of his robe sleeve he had torn off. “Hmm. That’ll have to do; keep some pressure on it until the bleeding fully stops. It sucks that our world’s magic doesn’t work here.”

“Yeah, I suppose… hey, what’s that, over there?” Harry pointed towards something a ways over, in what appeared to be the center of the meadow. “It looks a bit like Stonehenge.” Harry began wandering over to it.

“Hey, don’t just wander over to unknown clearly-magical places without being prepared!”

“You’d rather go back into the forest?”

“Good point.”

Upon reaching the meadow’s centerpiece, the two vampires carefully circled it. It vaguely resembled Stonehenge, yet not decrepit, and without the outer earthworks-- only a large circle of tall stones and a smaller inner one, both with a full ring of stones on the top. Many runes were carved on it, yet they were of an unknown language. In the direct center sat a stone dias with a pedestal in the center, on top of which lay a large shimmering stone in an unknown colour.

“Harry, I don’t think we should go near that,” Draco reasoned.

“No, it’s fine.” Harry was already at the pedestal.

“Dammit, Harry!” Draco jogged over to him. “We need to be careful. Something feels odd here. Just, don’t touch the stone… and, you already have, great.”

“Oww!” Harry called, removing his hand, and pulling the pink amulet out of his robe. It was glowing white-hot. The strange-coloured stone began to glow as well, along with the runes on the whole area, causing the light pink gem to become swirled with cyan and forest green. When it cooled down, Harry returned it to his robe.

“You sure you should continue wearing that?”

“It’s probably fine… hey, maybe we should get out of here, the monument is throbbing.”

“The monument is… what?”

“Throbbing, like a heartbeat… Well, the magic is, at least...”

The henge responded by glowing brightly and enveloping them in a strange-coloured light. 

The two vampires woke to find themselves deep underwater, lying on some sort of seabed. Briefly they panicked, then realized they were fine-- vampires didn’t need to breathe. In the very dim light, they could see a number of large stones around them… remnants of a similar structure to the one where they’d been? Harry opened his mouth to speak, filling his lungs with water to see if that could work instead of air. Only a weird garbling came out. But, now he knew they must be in a lake rather than an ocean, as there was no saltiness to the water. Harry grabbed Draco’s hand to swim up towards the surface, but Draco shook his head, pulling Harry back down, and began swimming across the bottom of the lake instead, pushing hard against the ground or rocks to spring forwards periodically, briefly increasing their swimming speed; this was much faster than swimming along the surface. Eventually, the ground began sloping upwards, and they emerged onto a snow-covered beach, during what appeared to be sunrise, coughing violently to get the water from their lungs.

“Where are we?” Harry asked, shivering a little. “It’s a bit… cold? I thought we couldn't feel cold?”

“If it’s cold enough, we can… er. Michigan is in the United States, isn’t it?” Draco held a very wet travel brochure in his hand.

Harry looked at Draco in disbelief. “We’re in Michigan?”

“Unless this brochure is extremely out of place, I’d say it’s a safe bet… I guess that was one of those physical gates that connects here to there.”

“How do we get back, then?”

“Well, I don’t suppose you could apparate us there?”

“Pretty sure that’s too far away for anyone to apparate to.”

“Yet you’ve gone to a whole different world.”

“That’s different…” Harry muttered. “Hey. What if we just didn’t go back?”

“You want to run away? But what about all your friends? Luna, Blaise, Ron, Hermione, the other Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, Hagrid?”

“They’d get over it.”

“I don’t think they would, actually. Here, let’s get you fixed up.” Draco took his wand out and, after drying them both, began working on Harry’s wound and fixing the tears in his robes.

“FIne… then, how about we wait until I can go to the Dreamlands again, so we can get back that way?”

“That could take weeks, for all we know. There will be international searches at that point.”

BANG! BANG! BANG! Numerous apparition pops sounded, and they were surrounded by what appeared to be aurors.

“MACUSA! Wands on the ground, now!”

Draco compiled, but Harry seemed to have other ideas. “Put it down,” muttered Draco. “They can help us.”

“I said, wands down! You are under arrest for illegal entry via… via something. Please, come quietly, or we will use force!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Draco warned them, looking at his boyfriend, who seemed unwilling to comply. “If you let me calm him down first…” Draco went to move towards Harry.

“Don’t move!”

“No, you really don’t understand…”

Someone let off a stunning spell at Draco; it bounced off him, harmless, but that was enough to rile Harry.

“Don’t you dare hurt Draco,” Harry growled dangerously, eyes, amulet, and earring glowing in a myriad of colours. A wave of power shot out in all directions; it passed by Draco harmlessly, but all the aurors collapsed upon the ground. Harry fell to his hands and knees, appearing to be in pain.

“Harry!” Draco ran to him, kneeling beside him.

“I- I’m okay,” Harry gasped. “What- what happened?” He looked around. “Did I- did I do that? They’re not dead, are they? Last I recall, they shot the spell at you...”

“No, they’re not dead; I can hear their heartbeats. We have to get out of here now. Let’s go.” He pulled Harry up, and they began running towards a nearby wood.

“Wait,” Harry called. “Cats. We can use our cat forms to hide.”

“Good idea,” Draco squeezed Harry’s hand briefly before they transformed, never breaking the stride of their run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: How do they return to Britain? Also, a mishap involving a drunk kitten, and Luna reveals something disconcerting...
> 
>  
> 
> Note: The Stonehenge-like structure in Lake Michigan actually exists! It's been a fairly recent discovery. I wanted a place that wouldn't likely have tourists, like real Stonehenge does, and this popped up when I searched; perfect, as it's a near guarantee no one would be under the water nor at the beach mid-winter!


	13. A Rescue and a Collar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This essentially replaces place book chapter 19, "Elf Tails," as they are in Michigan for the events that occured in the books and Ron never got poisoned. (Chapter basically involved them in the hospital a lot and then quidditch).

“Oh, dear. What have you boys gotten yourself into, this time?” Dumbledore mused amicably, as an auror opened the cell Harry and Draco had been unceremoniously tossed into. “Well, not to worry, all charges have been cleared up, mere accidents…”

The two were being held on charges of illegal entry, assaulting ten aurors, fleeing authority, resisting arrest (twice), and illegal trespassing-- that final one being how they were caught, as a wizard happened to own the farm they’d been sneaking through and had spells on the place that trapped them. The two had been hiding in kitten form for a few days, overcome by the animal instincts for the greater part of that-- when they finally got back their senses enough to transform back, they’d realized they were very hungry, thus went for the livestock they saw on the farm; whereas normally they could have escaped, they were fairly weak with hunger, making that impossible. Luckily, MACUSA, and all other magical councils amicable with the British Ministry, had been contacted about the fact that Harry Potter was missing, so they’d been recognized immediately. Somehow, though, no one had caught that they were vampires.

“You couldn’t have gotten here faster?” Harry asked, annoyed, as they followed Dumbledore out. “We’ve been locked up for nearly two days... I’m starving...”

“Yes, well, international diplomacy is a very time-consuming thing… Now, when we return, I expect a full explanation of how you got here and what you’ve been up to the past sixteen days.”

“It’s been sixteen days?” Harry asked sluggishly. “I thought it was more like six or seven....” No wonder he was so hungry!

Dumbledore’s eyebrows shot up. “My boy, are you telling me you have no idea what you’ve been up to for ten of the days you were missing for?”

“Er. Well, no…”

“I see… and Draco, you don’t recall either?”

“No, sir… although maybe I will, once I have some of the potion. Sixteen days on only animal blood, huh; no wonder I’ve been feeling rather odd… I think I heard somewhere that surviving on just that can cause memory issues...”

“And that’s probably why my magic was too messed up to fight the aurors who captured us...” Harry muttered. “Hey, can’t that cause hallucinations, too? Are you one of those, Dumbledore?”

“Ah, no, I don’t believe I am, Harry; not to worry, you’ll get some potion as soon as we return. Ah, and here’s the press, as expected…” Dumbledore commented, as they entered the atrium of MACUSA’s Chicago branch. “We shall continue this conversation once we return to Hogwarts.”

 

*******

 

“I hate everything,” Harry growled to no one, dropping his books on the table and flopping onto a couch in their lounge. The return to the castle had not been pleasant-- international floo was not a kind way to travel-- and then they had to deal with all sorts of paperwork at the Ministry, not to mention the press…. Initially, the fact the two were missing and the search had all been strictly confidential, but somehow the press had found out anyway; they always did. They told Dumbledore a story about using an unknown spell from a book, not realizing what it would do, which transported them into Lake Michigan, along with the book, which was lost in the lake, and when they emerged the aurors appeared, upon which they panicked and attacked the aurors, causing them to flee as they didn’t know what else to do. Dumbledore seemed to honestly believe them, though gave them quite the scolding about once again using an unknown spell from an unknown book. Madam Pomfrey had insisted upon examining the two extensively, despite their insistence that they were fine; she had not liked finding they had brands on their chests, though they blew that off as fashion. She kept them overnight, even! She was apparently concerned about the fact they went so long without the potion, so wanted to make sure there were no lingering effects from such. Harry would have a permanent scar above his left collarbone from the mess of healing it went through. As to what happened after he’d gotten it, Neville had gone to Dumbledore, whom had somehow convinced Ron and Slughorn that their suspicions were unfounded-- Harry had the sneaking suspicion some memory charms had been involved. Then there was all the people visiting them, friends and family and whatnot-- it was exhausting. Sirius had been permitted to visit, though, entering the castle in dog form with Lupin. Hermione had presented him with a large pile of Daily Prophets, all with articles on his vanishment. 

Harry had missed so much while he had been away; the quidditch match against Hufflepuff, for one, although luckily Ginny had stepped up to run practices, and took over seeking while Seamus took chaser; although he hadn’t been the best player, Ginny made up for it with a quick snitch capture. However, the Slytherin team hadn’t been so lucky in their match against Ravenclaw. They also had a ton of homework to catch up on... Harry just wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t, of course. Wasn’t there a way he could escape from it all? Not just physically, mentally as well… hmm, maybe there was. A somewhat reckless idea formed in Harry’s mind. They’d been excused from classes today, so why not?

Draco sighed as he walked down the hallway to their lounge, a pile of books and papers in his arms-- it was time to get started on their mountain of homework. He muttered the password, “space colours.” They’d never figured out how to change it.

“Meow!” A little fluffy black cat with an earring dashed clumsily out the door and down the hallway. 

Draco looked into the lounge. Harry’s books, Harry’s wand, empty bottle of firewhiskey, no Harry. “Dammit.”

“Something wrong?” Asked Neville, arriving at the lounge along with Blaise.

“Yeah. We have to go catch a drunk kitten.”

 

*******

 

Draco plopped the fluffy black kitten on a medical table in the Hospital Wing, whom meowed and staggered a little, earning an odd stare from Madam Pomfrey. “He needs help,” Draco told her.

“Mr. Malfoy, I do believe Hagrid is more equipped to handle veterinary issues.”

“It’s not a veterinary issue. This is Harry. He, er… well, he drank an entire bottle of firewhiskey and then went into his animagus form.”

Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows. “And just where would he get an entire bottle of firewhiskey?” She sighed. “And right after I released you two, as well… this wouldn’t be a response to everything that happened, would it? Does he often drink when under stress?”

“Er. Well, I’m not sure,” Draco lied. Truth was, they all did-- and when happy, sad, angry, and essentially just whenever they were in the lounge. Himself, Harry, Blaise, Luna, Neville, and even Hermione on occasion. Although, come to think of it… “Actually, he does seem to be drinking in excess more than usual lately,” Draco admitted. “I’ll talk to him about it, once he returns to normal.”

“More than usual?” Madam Pomfrey frowned. “Do you mean to say he, and presumably you and others, drink regularly?”

“Is that really important? Look at him! I don’t think being in kitten form when this drunk is good at all! Can’t you get him out of it, first? I’ve already tried the spell; I think he’s immune to it.”

Madam Pomfrey tried the spell as well. “Hmm. Well, there’s not much I can do, honestly-- I’m sure you recall how the sobering potion works on him. Your best case would be to go to McGonagall, as she knows the most on animagii of anyone here.”

Draco scooped Harry up and dashed out the door without saying a word, heading straight to McGonagall’s office. He found her exiting it, heading down the hallway towards him.

“Professor! I need your help!”

McGonagall frowned as she continued walking without pause, him following. “Mister Malfoy, I have a class to teach now; if you have a question about the homework-- why does that kitten have an earring?!” 

“It’s not about homework! You have to help Harry!”

“Mister Potter is in trouble? Where is he?” She squinted at the cat as he meowed at her lazily. “My word, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that cat is drunk!”

“Well, that’s because he is… and, er, this cat is Harry.”

McGonagall looked at Draco in disbelief for a moment before deciding he was being truthful, then ushered him into her classroom, where he sat at a desk. No one from her class had arrived yet. “I see… and how did he get in this state?”

“Well, he, er, he’s an animagus… And I’m not sure how much he drank, but I returned to find a fully empty bottle of firewhiskey, which I think was full before that, and he ran out the door in this form. He refuses to change back-- I don’t even think he realizes he’s a human-- and the spell to do so isn’t working. Madam Pomfrey said to come to you about it.”

“Hmm. Well, I’ll have a chat with him in cat-form, see if he can’t be reasoned--”

“I already tried that. He’s too drunk.”

McGonagall peered at Malfoy curiously. “And what do you mean by ‘already tried that’?”

“I’m also a cat animagus.”

McGonagall looked extremely surprised. “I see. Well, I wish to try myself, anyway, if you don’t mind.” She became a cat. First she tried talking to Harry in the type of telepathy animagii had between each other, but when Harry instead wandered away to chase a dust-ball, she began trying a series of body movements and cat sounds. Harry replied a little, but obviously was not paying much attention. She returned to human form. “He seems to be entirely caught within the cat’s mind… the only solution I can think of is that we’ll need to wait for him to sober up and regain his human senses. I would take him to Dumbledore, as he might know some things, but he is away from the castle today. I would like Harry to stay here, so I can monitor him, as drunkenness can be very dangerous to a cat, particularly one as small as he, although the effect on an animagus one is unknown… a full bottle of firewhiskey, my god…”

“I’m staying with him.”

“I suppose that’s a good idea, as I do have to teach as well; just don’t distract the class.”

“I won’t; I’ll be in my cat form, too! Is that okay?”

McGonagall sighed. “Yes, I suppose…”

Draco transformed just as the fifth-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws began shuffling in. 

Harry looked around in awe at all the people entering the room. He could play with them! They were all taking out feathers… whom should he choose to play with first? He sniffed the air. Oh! There was a scent he knew! He scrambled onto the desk of a red-haired girl, who gasped in surprise.

“Harry?” Ginny asked quietly, after glancing around quickly.

“Mew!” Harry replied, batting at her quill.

“You do know we’re in class now, right? My class.”

Harry merely flopped down on her homework and began purring, knocking over her inkwell as he rolled over… black ink spilled all over Draco’s white coat-- he had been about to jump onto the desk.

Draco yowled loudly and fled to the front of the room, behind the teacher’s desk, inky pawprints following him. Harry took this to be a game and dashed towards his boyfriend happily, occasionally falling on his face, chasing Draco around the room, whom had apparently also forgotten he was human.

McGonagall sighed. She went to her desk, wrote a quick note, and then used a summoning charm to pull them over. Well, Draco, at least; it seemed Harry was immune to that, as well. McGonagall frowned. What was going on? She handed Draco to Ginny, then retrieved Harry manually-- in cat form, as he had crawled under a shelf-- carrying the squirming kitten by the scruff of his neck. When she transformed back, she conjured a carrier, plopping Harry and Draco into it and handing it to Ginny. “Miss Weasley, please take these two and this note to Professor Snape.” 

Ginny peered into the carrier at the two frightened cats. “You know who these cats a-- belong to, right? Why take them to Snape?”

“Ah, yes, you would know. Well, they are causing trouble, and Professor Snape is not teaching right now. Do not try to let them out.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Inexperienced animagii can become caught by their animal instincts temporarily, which has happened here, and they need to be watched.”

Ginny headed to Snape’s office, depositing the carrier on Snape’s office desk and handing him the note before quickly leaving.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Snape muttered. He stared at the note for a long while, then at the whining kittens, as though he could not believe what he were seeing. He dragged a very upset Draco out of the carrier, slung him onto the floor, and used the reverse-animagus spell. A very embarrassed ink-covered Draco appeared where the kitten had been.

“I’m sorry about that, sir,” Draco mumbled, looking down.

Snape sighed. “It’s not like you could help it; I’ve even seen Minerva fall to the cat instincts at times, as they are one of the more difficult forms to control, having such complex minds… though I must ask, when did you become animagi? I saw no indication of you going through the process, which I surely would have noticed while teaching you occlumency, and with such little control over it, I would assume it occurred during this school year.”

“Ah, yeah, about that… we didn’t exactly use conventional means… Er. You locked the carrier, right?”

Snape swerved around. The carrier, though still closed, contained no Harry.

Draco swore. “You have to be kidding me!” He collapsed in a chair. “Why? Why does he have to be such a handful sometimes?”

“Only sometimes?” Snape raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, fine, a lot of the time. I still love him, though, despite that.”

The room became pitch black all of a sudden; once Snape and Draco were satisfyingly fearful, the blackness reconvenied into a very tall faceless man made of pure shadow, with six shadowy tentacles instead of legs.

“I believe this is yours,” the man-- Nyarlathotep-- told them in a voice that was booming yet also near-silent. He held up a very angry fully-vampire Harry by his collar-- not his robe collar, but of the kind a pet would wear-- gagged and with wrists tied behind his back, kicking wildly to get free. “Next time he decides to visit my garden in a feline form, it would do him well to not attempt to eat my pet birds.” He dropped Harry unto the ground, and dissolved into blackness.

 

*******

 

“Luna,” Harry called, as they left the Great Hall the next morning. “You were staring at Dumbledore for all of breakfast. Is something the matter?”

Luna looked at Harry, eyes wide. “He has a death ring.”

“A death ring?” Harry racked his brain, then finally recalled what Luna had said about that the prior year-- it was how she knew he and Draco weren’t human anymore. His heart dropped to his feet. “You mean, he’s close to death?”

“Close to inevitable death,” Luna corrected. “Everyone is close to unexpected death.”

“Inevitable… so there’s no way to prevent it? To save him?”

She shook her head sadly. “He will not be Headmaster next year.”

 

*******

 

“So, Draco collared you, did he?” Blaise teased. The usual group of him, Harry, Draco, Neville, and Luna were in the lounge, supposedly to do homework as Harry and Draco still had a lot to catch up on.

“What? No! I told you, it was Nyarlathotep… Why do people keep saying that anyway?” Harry complained. He still had on the black collar Nyarlathotep had stuck there for no discernable reason the previous day, as it had proven impossible to remove by any means, despite merely being a thin strip of green leather that matched his eyes… with a little red heart-shaped tag inscribed with a mysterious rune attached via a small mythril ring.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because, short of an official public announcement, it’s completely obvious to the entire school except Ron that you two are an item?”

“But what does a collar have to do with that?” Neville asked innocently.

“Collaring someone means they’re your complete sexual slave,” Luna bluntly explained, oblivious to the extreme awkwardness that ensued with that statement.

“Well, er, I suppose that is one thing it can mean,” Blaise confirmed, “But, well, it doesn’t have to be quite that extreme… doesn’t even have to involve sex, actually. Just signifies one person is submissive to the other, really. Specifically in what way is decided by the couple.”

“I wouldn’t mind having you as my pet,” Draco said playfully, nuzzling up to a blushing Harry. “My little kitten.”

“Yeah, well, your little kitten needs to go to detention now.” Harry gave Draco a peck on the lips before reluctantly heading out; his drunken cat escapade had earned him two weeks… which he shouldn’t really complain about, as that was actually pretty lenient a punishment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Harry confronts Dumbledore about the curse and horcruxes, Dumbledore lears of Harry's new powers, and Snape reveals something interesting!


	14. Dumbledore Informed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during book chapter 20, "Lord Voldemort's Request."

“Hello, Harry,” Dumbledore greeted. “I must say, I was quite surprised to learn I had to reschedule yet another detention in order to have this lesson.” He said this as though it were everyday smalltalk.

“Er, right. I’m sorry, sir.”

“Well, let me just say, that if you’re found in such an altered state again,” Dumbledore warned, though calmly still, “it may be deemed necessary to send you to St. Mungo’s rehabilitation ward.”

“What! But I’m not--”

“Ah, I didn’t say you were anything. Whether you are sent there or not and for what is not my decision; I am merely warning you of what might occur… hm, where did you get that collar? That rune is very strange.”

“Ah, well, I don’t know how much Snape and McGonagall told you--”

“I would hope they told me everything. You’ll be happy to learn that we have decided that it’d be best for you to both remain unregistered animagi for the moment, in case the Ministry records fall into the wrong hands.”

“Ah, thank you, sir. Did Snape say what happened before I returned to human form?”

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment. “He was oddly vague about that, actually. Seemed slightly afraid.”

“Right… Draco gave me this collar, then.”

“Draco did, did he? Does he know that it is a symbol of one of those entities I requested you cut contact with?”

Seeing as Dumbledore obviously had caught the lie, Harry decided to tell the truth-- partially. “Okay, fine, it wasn’t Draco who gave it to me. I’m not sure how, but I ended up in Nyarlathotep’s garden, as a cat, and tried to attack his pet birds. Before returning me here, in my vampire form, he put this on me as punishment. It seems to be entirely harmless, except for that it’s not removable by any means or hideable by glamour; I think he wants to use the humiliation from wearing it as punishment. Snape probably didn’t want to-- or maybe even couldn’t-- say anything because Nyarlathotep arrived in one of his forms meant to horrify humans.”

“I see… Well, I suppose that makes sense, as he seems to enjoy jokes at the expense of others, from what I’ve read. Though compared to recorded ones, this would be quite tame… Do you mind if I take a look?” Dumbledore strode over to Harry, examining the collar, looking closely at the rune. “Well, I don’t sense anything malicious about it… do you know what this rune means? I’ve never seen such before.” 

Harry looked shrewdly at Dumbledore. “No, I don’t… but you said it was one of their symbols, before.”

“Ah, yes. I lied; doesn’t feel too nice when you’re on the receiving end, does it?” Dumbledore’s gentle voice clashed with the acidity of those words, and he continued without giving Harry a chance to reply. “Now, to tonight’s business… I don’t suppose you retrieved the memory…?”

“No, sir. Most times I tried, something interfered, like the squid potion creature or, er, ending up in Michigan. And after asking the first time, he began making extra sure to not be around me alone for a month…”

“Ah, yes, he is a very suspicious man. Well, I have no doubt you can do it, though! Until you do, we can have no more lessons after tonight; that information is vital to where we go from here.”

“Because it might tell us how many horcruxes he made, so we’ll know how many are left to destroy?” Harry asked.

Dumbledore widened his eyes in brief surprise before collecting himself. “Yes, that is correct… but, however did you figure that out?”

“I came across a book in Grimmauld Place that outlined the process of making them and what they did. The diary from second year was definitely one, and the memory of him asking Slughorn about them occurred after he made that. So, obviously he didn’t need to ask what they were or how they’re made, meaning it must have been about making more than one-- there seemed to be no information in the book about such, and I’m sure he would have wanted more, considering how power-hungry he is… the ring was one too, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was… unfortunately, I fear those are not the only two; in fact, I am positive, which is why that memory is vital.”

“The book also described the curse that was on the ring. The one that’ll kill you in a few months.”

Dumbledore looked utterly shocked at this. “Harry, my boy, how do you know that?”

“Luna can tell who will soon die an ‘inevitable death,’ apparently. Why did you put it on?”

Dumbledore looked away. “I was… foolish. Tempted by it, a moment of weakness…” He looked very sad; Harry had never seen such a look on Dumbledore’s face before.

“What was so tempting about it?” Harry whispered. 

Dumbledore sighed. “That, Harry, does not matter. I made a mistake, a fatal one, and that is all there is to it. I am very lucky Severus managed to contain it as well as he did, or else I would have been dead soon after it struck. Unfortunately, this is one of those things where there is no curing, only delaying.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“I am. Now, let us continue with the lesson...”

Dumbledore was talking about something, but Harry wasn’t paying much attention. An idea was forming… 

“Harry, my boy? Are you listening?”

“What if you could delay the curse indefinitely?” Harry blurted out.

Dumbledore looked at Harry curiously. “I do not believe that is possible.”

“But it is!” Harry exclaimed. “I know of a place, where time stands still-- if you go there, the curse won’t progress! You can take the passage Draco and I went through, in Lake Michigan… or, we can see if the White Ship will make an exception, and take a human passenger again…”

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. “Harry. What passage are you referring to? You told me before that a spell brought you there.”

Harry froze. Crap. In his excitement, he’d forgotten the lie about that journey. “Er. Well. Okay, so the spell didn’t exactly bring us straight to Lake Michigan. We went to the Dreamlands first, and then found the passage back, which connected to an old henge at the bottom of the lake.”

“Harry. You’ve been to these ‘Dreamlands’ before, haven’t you?”

“Er. Well… yes. I--” Harry stared at Dumbledore’s hand. A swirling dark pulse was now coming from it.

“Harry?” Dumbledore prompted.

“I can feel the magic,” he whispered. “Just like at the dias…” Harry paused, turning his head as though listening to something. “I think I can remove the curse.”

Dumbledore’s eyes widened. “Harry. You weren’t speaking with one of those celestial beings just now, were you?”

“And if I was?” Harry was suddenly feeling unnaturally cocky. Powerful. He could feel the magic around them, could control it. The amulet burned hot against his skin as he smiled maniacally. Something was lending him their power, though he was not sure specifically who… or was this his own power? Or no one’s power, just magic floating in space, free to use? It was of no matter.

“Harry,” Dumbledore looked vaguely frightened. “Your eyes are glowing… Harry, what is going on?”

“I’m removing the curse, that’s what.” Harry swiftly stepped towards Dumbledore, grabbing his cursed arm, and drew the throbbing dark magic out of it, wincing in pain as he did so. It was a strong curse… after a minute or so, it was entirely out, and Harry held a ball of dark magic in his hands; Dumbledore was staring at his arm, which now looked as healthy as it had ever been. Harry wasn’t sure what to do now; he was growing weak, and needed a place to put the curse… “Sir, I need something to move the curse into, an object… something wearable.”

Dumbledore snapped to attention. “Right, one moment,” He turned to a shelf, and quickly grabbed the first wearable item he saw, which he lay on the desk. “Put it in this.”

Harry flung the ball of magic towards the item-- an old bowler hat. “There… the hat is cursed now… please don’t be tempted to wear that one…” Harry, entirely out of energy, collapsed into unconsciousness.

 

*******

 

“I end up in here way too often,” Harry muttered, waking up in the hospital wing. He went to sit up, only to find he was pinned down-- why were there weights on the blanket? He leaned up as far as he could, then smiled. A jackalope and four cats rested on the bed with him: Luna, Selardi, Crookshanks, Mrs. Norris, and Draco. The last one noticed Harry had awoken; he sprang over to Harry to give him a quick lick on the nose, then leapt off the bed, turning back into Harry’s boyfriend.

“I’m so happy you’re okay!” Draco called, as he hugged Harry. “You’ve been out two days, and no one would say anything about what happened…”

“You’re a cat too?!” Came a call from across the room, as Madam Pomfrey hustled over. “I told you, visiting hours were over… the rest of those better not be animagi, too… hm.” She took stock of the sleeping animals there. “Miss Granger’s cat, your cat, Mrs. Norris… by god, is that a rabbit with antlers?”

“The correct term would be jackalope,” Harry grinned.

Madam Pomfrey looked slightly confused. “Those aren’t a myth?”

“Apparently not,” Draco commented.

Madam Pomfrey looked at it suspiciously, then drew her wand and muttered the animagus reversal spell, revealing a still-asleep Luna who was now draped over Harry’s legs.

A knock sounded on the door, and Dumbledore entered. He smiled widely upon seeing Harry. “Ah, you’re finally awake! But what’s this? It’s not visiting hours, is it? I had hoped to speak to Harry alone before then, if found awake…”

“It is not visiting hours,” Madam Pomfrey stated adamantly. “Those two--” she pointed to Luna and Draco-- “are apparently animagi, and snuck in under the pretense of being pets.”

“Miss Lovegood is an animagus as well?”

“A jackalope, of all things.”

Dumbledore looked slightly puzzled over that. “I thought those were a myth… well, if anyone would be an animagus of a mythological creature, it would be Luna, I suppose,” he concluded.

Harry tried getting up while avoiding waking any of the cats or Luna. Actually… the cats all were awake, it seemed, just being stubborn. Luna, still fully asleep, rolled over onto her back, ending up even more on top of Harry. “Er. Can I get some help here?” 

Finally, the cats were removed and Luna awakened, allowing Harry to sit up fully.

“Luna, Draco, Poppy, if you don’t mind, I would like to speak with Harry alone.”

“No. I’m staying with him,” Draco insisted.

“Me too,” Luna added.

Dumbledore sighed. “You’ve both skipped all your classes the past two days; you need to go to them today. Now, as I was saying, I must speak to Harry alone...”

“I was out two days?” Harry wondered.

“I’m not leaving. Harry will tell me whatever you say to him anyway, you know,” Draco said confidently.

Dumbledore sighed. “Fine. But Luna--”

“Nyarlathotep says my great-grandmother wants me to protect him.”

Harry looked at Luna with puzzlement. “Why would Karakal want you to protect me?”

“Why, because you are a budding cosmic entity, whom the Old Gods now want dead.”

“Wait what?!” Draco burst. “Since when?” He glared at Harry.

“Hey, I didn’t know, either!” Harry defended. “Luna, what do you mean by that?”

Luna looked confused. “I thought I spoke quite clearly.”

“Luna,” Dumbledore said calmly. “We understood the words, but not the full extent of what they mean. What do you mean by Harry being a ‘budding cosmic entity,’ and why do these Old Gods want him dead?”

“The Old Gods do not want there to be more cosmic entities. They dislike them, think they are a danger to humanity… which some are, yes, but most are only dangerous when provoked, as any creature would be… There’s all sorts, you know. Some more intelligent than humans, who co-mingle with them, and others closer to beasts, like the one at the Ministry.”

“And what’s a ‘budding cosmic entity’?”

“You don’t know? I thought Harry told you.”

Dumbledore turned to Harry. Well, he might as well explain everything… well, not everything, but everything about his condition, at least. “Er. So, I’m not really sure what Luna specifically means when she calls me that-- it’s the first time she has-- but in the Department of Mysteries, I drank the blood of an Old One, as you know… well, apparently it, er, gave me some new abilities, although there’s some side effects. I don’t know what they all are-- I keep discovering new ones. Such as, that influencing thing I, er, I tried on you; I discovered that over Christmas, when I accidentally used it to get the Minister to stop talking to me. I only used it twice, one on him and then attempted it on you. When he discovered it, Nyarlathotep gave me this earring to help me control the Old One magic I absorbed, and help it mesh with my other magic.”

“I see… and what are these other abilities, and side effects? One would be moving the curse’s magic to a different object, I presume. Which I thank you very much for, Harry; I am in your debt.”

“Oh! So that’s why the death-ring is gone!” Luna chimed happily. “I am glad that you will continue serving as Headmaster,” she told Dumbledore.

Harry, however, looked at Dumbledore with visible befuddlement. “Moved the curse?”

“Thank you, Miss Lovegood,” Dumbledore told her, then showed Harry his completely-healed arm. “Yes, Harry, you moved the curse from my arm to a bowler hat, after which you collapsed… do you not recall this? Perhaps the strain was too much…”

“I guess… last I recall, I noticed the magic, and considered that maybe I could do such; guess that proved true?”

Dumbledore smiled gently. “Yes, Harry, it did. Again, thank you. Now, the other effects…?”

“Well, the most problematic negative effect is I seem to get really sick if I eat too many plant-based things, which I often have to do or people get worried that I’m not eating right, since they don’t know all I need is blood. And it’s either related or extremely coincidental, but I have a squill allergy now. Then, corundum somehow binds me-- I accidentally swallowed a ruby off a goblet at Slughorn’s Christmas party, and nearly went into a hibernative state. After the MACUSA aurors cornered us when we got out of the lake, I let out a shockwave that put them to sleep, but I felt very drained after. I can also see auras, but that’s only on occasion, generally when people feel strong emotions. And I’ve been able to sense strong magic sometimes too, like the curse, and the power that transported us to the lake. I also seem to be able to sense dangerous substances; I knew there was poison in the mead, for example. Oh, and I can naturally apparate, without making a sound; discovered that the first day of apparition lessons. I can also apparate directly to the Dreamlands, but I can’t return on my own for awhile; it needs to recharge between trips it seems. How long is unknown; I only did it twice, both times returning by other means-- Nyarlathotep helped the first time, and we found the passage the other time. I don’t know specifically where I can go there, either-- both times was by accident, and went to a jungle. Also, I can take magical beings like Draco with me but not humans, not even part-humans like Luna; I think that uses more energy though.”

Dumbledore looked at Harry for a long while, pondering this information, before finally speaking. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Harry looked away. “Well… I mean, I only found out this was from the blood recently; at first it was only the sickness when eating, and seeing auras. Madam Pomfrey knew about the former; I thought it was just some illness. I didn’t tell anyone about the latter, because I didn’t realize what it was at first, and thought I might be going crazy. Oh, and the danger sense I thought was just due to vampire senses, then it was discovered Draco had not been able to sense it-- there was a potion ingredient I’m apparently allergic to, and I recognized its presence despite it being odorless. The other abilities didn’t start manifesting until the incident with the Minister, and before I got to tell you, you told us you wanted us to stop talking to the cosmic entities...”

“I am still concerned with you being in close contact with such, I admit. However, it seems to be necessary, now… if I had known this was happening to you, I would not have asked you to stop, rather cautioned you. I would assume they know much more about your condition?”

“No, actually. It seems I’m an anomaly; nothing like this has occured before. Nyarlathotep says he has no idea what will happen with it, or what other abilities I’ll gain, though he gave me the earring to help control the magic.”

“I see… and what of that amulet? It glowed, as well, when you removed the curse.”

“Ah that… I, er... found that. Nyarlathotep says it can increase power, and that I should wear it.”

“Hmm… well, it seems visiting hours have begun; your other friends are at the door now. If you are feeling up to it, I’d like to meet tonight to finish our interrupted meeting. Again, I cannot thank you enough for breaking the curse…”

 

*******

 

“So, the rumors are true? There really is a curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?” Draco asked. 

“It seems so; ever since Voldemort was denied it, no one has stayed in it beyond a year,” Harry confirmed. They were again in their lounge, after Dumbledore’s lesson, just the two of them, as everyone else was asleep. That night, he’d seen two memories: the first was of a witch showing Voldemort a cup that had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, as well as the locket that had belonged to Salazar Slytherin as well as Voldemort’s mother; the second was of Voldemort asking Dumbledore to teach at the school again, with Dumbledore denying him, saying that wasn’t what he actually wanted.

Draco was quiet for a moment. “Snape is in it this year.”

“Well, maybe he’ll return to potions next year,” Harry reasoned. “Slughorn didn’t really want to return, after all.”

“I hope so… hey, I wonder if you could remove it? I mean, you removed the curse from Dumbledore’s hand.”

“Yes, with the minor setback of passing out for two days after, and that was only a small curse for an object. This one probably involves much greater magic, and what would it even be attached to?”

“Hogwarts itself?” Draco suggested.

“Makes sense. So, let’s see, if I passed out for two days after removing a curse from an arm, removing one from an entire castle should only leave me unconscious for, oh, I dunno, a few decades?”

“I see your point. Hmm. There has to be a way to stop it…”

“Get rid of the class?”

Draco laughed. “Right, just get rid of Defense Against the Dark Arts. And what would it be replaced with? Just plain old Dark Arts?”

“Best defense is a good offense, as the saying goes, right?”

“I’m sure that will go over wonderfully with all the parents,” Draco drawled, voice laden with sarcasm.

“Well, then, how about changing the name?”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Change the name? If that’s all it took, wouldn’t they have done it by now?”

“Well, maybe… but sometimes the simplest solutions are most overlooked. It can be something like “Principles of Defense” or something. And maybe the class description and curriculum can be slightly altered as well-- such as, add a dueling component, occlumency, and maybe simple counter-jinxes for non-dark spells-- making it just enough of a different class to circumvent the curse.”

Draco pondered that for a moment. “You know, you might actually be onto something there…”

 

*******

 

Harry and Draco stared speechless at Snape, mouths agape; they had not bargained for this upon arriving for occlumency lessons. In light of Dumbledore’s curse being lifted, Snape had decided to reveal to the two what Dumbledore had requested of him. “It seems he wished me specifically to kill him, before the curse took him. He figured this would cause the Dark Lord to put full faith in me, allowing me to be the one placed in charge of Hogwarts in the event that the Ministry got captured, as he seems convinced will happen, so I could protect the students, while you complete whatever the mission is that he is preparing you for… However, that seems unnecessary now, as the curse is gone.”

“He’s gone mad,” Draco marvelled. “There’s so many variables to that-- the chances that exact path will occur is so slim! Especially with all the cosmic beings apparently involved in this now.”

“Yes, that is another thing. The Dark Lord seems to have left the country, placing Bellatrix in charge of the Death Eaters; we know from your vision he had contacted Yig, so it is suspected he has gone looking for more. Shortly after returning from that expedition is when he left, and he has not returned in over a month.”

“You don’t think we’d be lucky enough to have the next one he finds kill him, you do?” Harry wondered.

“No, unfortunately. He would have learned from his mistake with that first one.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Draco questioned. “Isn’t this private Order information?”

“No, not even most the Order knows these details. I have only told Dumbledore, and do not know if he told anyone. He is worried what will happen if the fact that these creatures are more than myths is revealed to the general population.”

“Then, why tell us?” asked Harry.

“I am telling you this, against Dumbledore’s wishes, because you are fully in the thick of it, thus have a right to know. I do not wish for a repeat of the prophecy situation; he should have told you, Harry, about that much earlier, child or not. Furthermore, you are plenty powerful enough to protect yourself, yet Dumbledore still seems to think of you as a child and is trying to shield you. However, it is my belief that it is more in your best interest to be kept in the loop, so you can be better prepared. You are nearly of age, and it is time Dumbledore, and most of the Order, for that matter, realizes such.”

Harry laughed lightly. “I definitely agree with that.”

“Yes. Well, now to our lesson--”

“Wait, before that, sir, Harry and I have an idea about Defense class; since you don’t plan to kill Dumbledore anymore, you’re going to have to find a way to stay teaching it, or go back to potions. But maybe you won’t have to...” Draco explained how they thought the curse might be broken.

“That is an intriguing idea,” Snape mused once the explanation was finished. “And not merely as a way to break the curse, but with the content as well. It would certainly be beneficial to expand the curriculum, especially adding in basic occlumency, as that is a skill many woefully lack in… I will discuss this with Dumbledore.”

 

*******

 

A week later, the school was abuzz as Dumbledore made an announcement about class changes for the following school year. The Board of Governors had dismissed changing Defense Against the Dark Arts, but they had agreed to a different idea Dumbledore had: adding instruction in some other magical fields. After Snape mentioned that occlumency really was something the students should learn, Dumbledore had begun pondering on whether other important magical instruction was perhaps lacking as well. After much deliberation, it had been decided that three new elective classes would be established: Mental Magic, taught by Snape, available to NEWT level students, would teach occlumency, legilimency, memory spells, and other such items, and was geared towards students desiring to go into fields specifically requiring such, such as aurors, obliviators, and whatnot; Healing, which would be taught by Madam Pomfrey, would also be only NEWT level, as it was a trickier type of magic; and lastly, Firenze would be teaching Natural Magic, as a regular elective to third years and up, which would revolve around the magic of nature, including the celestial divination he had been teaching as well as magical properties of things such as fire, earth, water, and all that. Trelawney would be returning to teaching third years and up the more traditional types of divination. Harry and Draco would be taking Snape’s class, in lieu of having it as an extra evening lesson. Natural Magic also sounded amazing; Harry recalled the previous year in the centaur’s class, and wondered if he could fit it into his schedule.

But of course, they had to get through the rest of this year, first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Ron picks up on something he should have long ago, and then the press does too! And Snape scolds Harry on a different matter...


	15. Relationship Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during the start of book chapter 21, "The Unknowable Room." Note that in the books this is where he first reads the spell sectumsempra (but not where he uses it); however, in this story, it'll be a few chapters before he sees that.

“Ron, be quiet, we’re trying to work,” Harry sighed. He, Ron, and Hermione were in the Gryffindor common room, during a free period, working on an essay on patronii for Defense Against the Dark Arts, which they were learning in class, and of course which almost everyone who had been in the DA already knew. 

“But there’s only a few more weeks until the test, yet I still haven’t done it once!” Ron whined, in reference to the apparition lessons.

“Then sign up for the extra practice lessons,” Harry reasoned. “Besides, if you do fail, you can just retake it in a month. I have to wait nearly four.”

“Yes, but you got it on your first try; the instructor even said you didn’t need any more lessons! Your test won’t be a problem! And I can’t afford the extra practice sessions, either; I could barely afford the normal lessons…”

“Then I’ll cover it for you. And that’s final, don’t try to argue; consider it an extra birthday gift. Now, can we finish our homework?”

They worked in silence, until Ron noticed the charm on his spell-checking quill had begun to wear off. Hermione pulled the essay over, and she and Harry began snickering. It had turned things like “augery” to “orgy” and “dementors” to “dugbogs”, as well as his name to “Roonil Wazlib.” Hermione proceeded to work on fixing it.

“Hey, Ron, where’s Lavender?” Harry asked. “Did you finally break up with her?” He was woefully out of the loop when it came to his friends, as he had been gone for weeks followed by all that other stuff. He had been happy to find Ron and Hermione were getting along again; apparently, mutual worry over a missing best friend is a good way to restore lost bonds.

“No,” Ron said sulkily. “I keep dropping hints, but she just doesn’t get it! All she does is cling even closer, making it even tougher.”

“Then why don’t you just tell her it outright?” Harry reasoned.

“Oh, like you would know. The only relationship experience you’ve had was Cho, which wasn’t exactly much.”

Harry blinked, stunned. Did Ron honestly still not realize Harry and Draco were more than friends?

“Speaking of telling it outright,” Hermione snickered.

“What?” Ron asked, clearly confused. 

“You have to be joking,” Harry stated in wonder. “There’s no way you haven’t noticed. I’m even wearing a bloody collar now! Rumors of that have been spreading through the school like wildfire the past few days.”

Ron merely looked even more confused. “What’s that have to do with anything?”

Harry sighed in frustration and flopped his face onto the table.

“He and Draco are dating,” Hermione explained, apparently deciding Harry was taking too long to do so himself.

Ron looked utterly flabbergasted; it took him a few tries to get words out. “W-when did this happen?! Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice inflected a bit of hurt.

“I really did think you knew,” Harry told his friend, sitting up and fixing his glasses, which had gone askew due to the faceplant. “I’m not sure how much more obvious it could have been, short of snogging in front of everyone.”

“Oh god. I did not need that image.”

Hermione’s face spawned a mischievous grin. “Oh, it’s really not that bad. It’s quite cute when they kiss, actually.” 

Harry, in response, blushed furiously. “H-hermione!”

Ron had a look of horror upon his face. “You- you watched them snog!?”

“Oh, relax, Ron. All I saw was a brief kiss as part of a game we were playing.”

“What kind of game involves… you know what, nevermind. When did this happen, though?”

“Er. Well, our first kiss was actually about an hour after Cho kissed me…” At the look on Ron’s face, he added quickly, “but we didn’t officially tell anyone about that for a long while!” Then further explained: “Except Luna, who somewhat orchestrated it. It was before everyone was all friends with each other, so kinda awkward… then, people started finding out on their own, and eventually we stopped trying to hide it. I honestly thought you’d figured it out; we’ve held hands around you, we’ve made overt innuendos and flirtations numerous times, I frequently sit on his lap whenever we all hang out together-- hell, one of the times you found us in the lounge last year drunk and high I’m pretty sure I was lying on his lap with my shirt off-- and he’s one of the few people I actually willingly let hug me whenever he wants. Hell, the other day, we walked into potions class with our arms around each other’s waists! We also spent Valentine’s Day together, and last Hogsmeade I went with him to lunch alone, as in on a date... And you’ve honestly never wondered why I’m out of the dorm so much at night?”

“Not to mention Luna’s not-so-subtle commentary at the quidditch match,” Hermione chuckled.

Ron blushed. “When you lay it all out like that, it does sound pretty bloody obvious… so, a whole year already? Seriously?” He looked a little faint. “With… with Draco Malfoy…”

“Yep. With Draco Malfoy.”

“Aww, man. That means you’re still a step ahead on that front, too-- I thought I finally managed to beat you at something.”

Now Harry was confused. “What are you talking about? You beat me at chess all the time, and basically every other strategy game.”

“No, I mean at something big. Like, you’re always getting better grades, and better at quidditch, and whatnot-- but I thought I actually had a leg up for one. Getting my first real kiss, and first girlfriend, before you…”

Harry looked at Ron for a moment, then snorted in mirth. “Well, technically, you do have me beat on the girlfriend part.”

Ron laughed too. “You know what I mean.” Harry was very glad that Ron was taking this so easy, although there was a definite aura of frustration around him; he had been sure a fight would ensue, but it seemed Ron was trying to be reasonable.

“So, you’re okay with it?” Harry asked.

Ron frowned. “Well, I still don’t like him much, but if he makes you happy, I guess I can live with it.”

“Meow!” said a happy cat from Harry’s lap, which had been hidden under the table they were using to do work.

“He approves,” Harry stated, grinning, as Hermione snickered.

Ron stared at Harry, mouth agape. “Is that… who I think… it is…?”

Draco Malfoy appeared behind Harry, and slug his arms around his boyfriend’s chest. “Yes, it is exactly who you think it is.”

Ron paled. “You’ve been there the entire time?”

“Verily. I enjoy being in the lap of my little kitten.” Draco played with the tag on a blushing Harry’s collar.

Ron blushed. “Didn't need to know that… what’s with that collar, anyway?”

Draco raised his eyebrows. “Oh? You don’t already know? Well, a collar--”

“Nyarlathotep stuck it on me,” Harry blurted, before Draco gave Ron a heart attack with whatever he had been going to say next. “As a joke, and it won’t come off.”

Draco pouted, resting his chin on Harry’s head. “You’re no fun.”

“Nyarlathotep?” Ron queried. “Isn’t that the pharaoh guy who visited during exams last year?”

“Wait a second.” Something dawned on Hermione. “I knew I’d heard that name before! In Runes class the other day, we translated a story about a trickster deity who has many forms, including a pharaoh, named Nyarlathotep! It had been bugging me, where I’d heard that before. But it couldn’t possibly be…”

“It is,” Harry confirmed. “I’m not sure how, but the other day, while stuck in cat form, I ended up in his garden and attacked his pet birds. He put the collar on me as punishment before changing me back and returning me to Hogwarts.”

Draco frowned. “You know, you never told me why he had you bound and gagged when he brought you back.”

Harry blushed furiously. “And I’m still not going to.”

 

*******

 

Harry stared openmouthed at the Daily Prophet. A huge photograph of him and Draco sprawled across the front page, under the headline “Consorting With the Enemy” with subheading “Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy Confirmed Lovers.” The photo featured a heated kiss the two had shared the prior evening; it was a little distant, clearly taken from behind a bush, but one could see clearly enough that Harry had Draco pinned against a tree, the movement showing them staring into each other’s eyes lovingly before pressing their lips together sensually. No wonder people had been whistling at him when he entered the Great Hall. The article itself wasn’t the kindest though; it highlighted the dissent between Gryffindors and Slytherins, and then-- as it had never been made known that Draco was a disowned refugee, meaning the press still touted him as the legacy of a Death Eater-- with speculation over if Draco would turn Harry into a dark wizard or if Harry would lead Draco away from the dark. Technically, the latter never could happen, as Draco had rebelled before befriending Harry, and the former had already happened, if going by the classical definition that called vampires dark creatures… Harry cringed at the thought of the press finding that not-so-little tidbit out.

Suddenly, the whistling began anew: Draco had just walked in. Harry blushed and sank down into his chair as his boyfriend looked around in confusion as he sauntered towards the Slytherin table, where he was greeted by a smirking Blaise waving the paper in Draco’s face. Draco sat down with a shocked expression on his face as he perused the page, glancing towards Harry once finished and catching his eye with a slightly concerned expression-- not as to the nature of the article, as it had essentially merely confirmed what everyone in the castle had already assumed, but monitoring his boyfriend’s reaction; should he go over there, or not? Harry shook his head slightly, indicating he did not feel like dealing with the extra attention that would bring...

Especially since owls were crowded around him, delivering letters of both support and disapproval. Harry groaned as he saw a red one flying towards him; before it could begin screaming, he grabbed it, dispersed its teenie bit of magic into the air, and reduced it to a smoldering pile of ash. 

“How’d you do that without a wand?” Hermione queried.

Harry froze. Wait, how DID he do that? Harry knew he could draw out magic, as he had allegedly done so with the curse, but this happened almost naturally, and he felt fine… well, it was only a very slight amount of simple magic those things used, so that was probably why. But what about the fire? Could he manipulate flame without a wand, as well? Oh, wait, these things burst into flame when they finished, anyway, so that must be all it was. “I didn’t-- it must have been defective and disposed of itself without delivering the message.”

“Lucky!” Ron exclaimed. “I wish the ones mom sent had done that…”

“Do you want help sorting through these?” Hermione asked, as more and more letters and packages arrived. “Maybe we can all go to the lounge…?” she looked inquisitively at Ron-- he hadn’t even been near the lounge for months, preferring still to avoid the Slytherins, but in the few days since finding out about Harry and Draco’s relationship he’d been at least attempting to get along, for Harry’s sake.

So, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione grabbed Blaise and Draco, and they all headed to the lounge-- Luna, unfortunately, did not have a free period that morning. Actually, come to think of it…

“Hermione, Blaise, shouldn’t you be in Ancient Runes right now?” Harry asked.

“Nah,” Blaise told them. “It’ll be fine; skipping a class every so often is good for you!”

Hermione gave Blaise a glare. “No, it isn’t! Honestly… we both already finished the project, so Professor Babbling said we didn’t have to go to the rest of the classes this week, as they’re only going to be used as time to work on it with her assistance,” she explained.

Harry sighed as they tossed armfulls of letters and packages on the table, half of them falling off-- most were Harry’s, although a fair amount were for Draco, as well. With a wave of her wand, Hermione enlarged the table and moved the letters into piles before grabbing a bottle of firewhiskey from the liquor cabinet and popping it open.

Ron looked at Hermione as though she had lost her head.

“What? We’re going to need it, with these piles.”

“Since when do you drink?” Ron gaped.

“Since you started going out with Lavender,” Neville said casually, causing a slightly awkward silence. “What? It’s true.”

“Right, so let’s take care of these letters,” Draco interceded; they did not need those two having another row. “Everyone, grab a pile, and get comfortable; we’re going to be here a while.”

It took more than an hour to read through and sort all the letters, especially as they had to begin using detection charms on them first after one contained a small crudely-made metal dog that tried attacking Neville, who had been the unlucky one to open it.

“Oh! This one has chocolates!” Ron proclaimed. “Let’s eat them.”

“Ron,” Harry spoke kindly, “Do you really want to start eating chocolates from an unknown source again?”

Run turned bright red. “Er. Right.” He tossed them into a junk bin.

Harry took a big swig of firewhiskey, then looked sadly at the bottle. “We’re all out,” he lamented. “Hermione, did we have any more bottles left in there?”

Hermione glanced at Harry briefly before turning back to a letter. “Yes, but we really shouldn’t have more, with class being soon; you especially, as half that bottle you downed yourself.”

“Hey, what time is it, anyway?” Draco pondered, eyes finding the clock on the wall amongst Apollo’s numerous drawings, then doing a double take. “Please tell me that clock is broken.”

Everyone dropped whatever letters or packages they held, scrambled to gather their things, and then dashed out the door and down the halls, Harry tripping on the way.

“Please explain why all five of you are thirteen minutes late to my class,” Snape drawled, as they entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, four of the six utterly out of breath.

“We lost track of time,” Blaise explained quickly. “Sorry, sir, won’t happen again.”

“I see…” Snape peered closely at the group. “And what, might I ask, was so distracting? Something you shouldn't be having, perhaps, particularly at this early of an hour?”

Harry gazed at Snape with wonder. He knew! How did he know? “No, sir,” Harry lied. “We were just trying to sort through the letters Draco and I received this morning, after the article in the paper.”

“Is that all? Find your seats; you’re wasting class time. Thirteen points from each of you, one for each minute you were late-- that’s a total of 52 from Gryffindor, 26 from Slytherin-- and you all have detention tonight... Also, Potter, please see me after class.”

Harry could barely focus the entire class; he had had much more firewhiskey than intended, it seemed. He scolded himself for losing track like that. What would Snape do? Would he tell Dumbledore? Who was he kidding; of course Snape would. Harry essentially spent the lesson doodling nonsensical drawings in his notebook-- he tried to take notes, he really did…

“Harry, hey, class has ended,” Draco said, nudging his arm.

“Huh? Oh, right.” Harry stood up; it seemed everyone else had already crowded at the door.

Snape stopped Harry before he could head out the door too. “A word, please. My office.”

Once they entered the office, Snape directed them to the cluster of armchairs set up in the corner. Although there were plenty of chairs, Harry elected to sit on Draco’s lap-- Draco had insisted on staying with Harry, and Snape acquiesced.

Snape sighed. “Harry. I will get straight to the point. I’m worried about you.”

Harry stared at Snape with slightly unfocused eyes. “Why?”

“This isn’t the first time you’ve showed up to class after drinking, although usually it’s not quite this overt.”

“I haven’t been drinking…”

“Do not lie to me; not only does your demeanor strongly suggest such, but your mind is an open book when under the influence.”

“He wasn’t the only one drinking this morning, Sir,” Draco interjected. “I had some, too.”

“I am aware. It seems everyone but Weasley had some, including Granger, much to my surprise. Though you controlled yourself, stopping after a few and giving it time to process, allowing you to remain fit for class; if not for Harry’s demeanor causing me to suspect it, and if you weren’t late, I most certainly would have been unaware of your activities.”

“Harry, are you okay?” Draco asked, nudging him, as he’d been staring into space.

“Huh? Yeah… what part of my demeanor gave it away?”

“Bloodshot eyes. Slight swaying. Completely unfocused. And, most telling, a strong scent of alcohol on your breath.” Snape replied flatly. “You also spent most the class drawing random lines and squiggles instead of note taking, and didn’t even realize class had ended.”

“...right. Er. Sorry…”

Snape frowned. “Just how much did he have?” he asked Draco. “And why, pray tell, would you let him?”

Draco cringed. “I didn’t realize how much he had. We were passing around a bottle of firewhiskey, and when we all had what we wanted, he apparently decided to finish it off-- no one realized, as we were all focused on the letters. There was half a bottle left, last I had seen, and when we left he had finished it.”

“Half a bottle,” Snape repeated. “Harry, how often do you generally drink?”

“Uh. Not often.”

“Do not lie to me. Let me ask it differently; when is the last day you did not have a drink, other than the weeks you were lost in Michigan?”

Harry was quiet for a while, trying to think. “I don’t remember,” he finally tepidly divulged. 

“I see.” Snape sighed. “Harry, I believe you have a drinking problem.”

“I don't have a problem.”

“You have become blackout drunk multiple times recently in response to stressful situations, one which resulted in being stuck as a cat. You cannot recall when you last did not have a drink. You have been drinking immediately before classes, affecting your work within them and causing your grades to drop. You are, in short, turning to drinking as an unhealthy means of coping with your problems.”

“He has a point, you know,” Draco told Harry, who sulked in return.

“This is, however, merely the tip of my worry,” Snape proceeded. “How have you been feeling lately?”

“And don’t just say fine,” Draco added quickly. “Because you’re obviously not.”

“I guess I have been a bit down lately…” Harry muttered. “Things just seem so overwhelming, and it all feels so pointless.”

“Have you had any thoughts of hurting yourself?” Snape asked.

Harry looked away. “Nothing I would act on.”

“Yet, you have in the past, with devastating results,” Snape said bluntly. “So excuse me for being skeptical of that.” He sighed again. “Harry, you need help. I will not tell Dumbledore of today’s incident; however, I would like you to start seeing Madam Pomfrey again during lunches, regularly. Is this acceptable?”

“But, I can handle myself…”

“No, you clearly cannot. See Madam Pomfrey, or I notify Dumbledore of today’s incident. Those are your options.”

“Please, Harry,” Draco implored, squeezing Harry closer to him. “Do it for me, if nothing else?”

“...Fine,” Harry grumbled.

 

*******

 

Later, on the lounge’s loveseat post-detention and after everyone had gone to sleep, Draco pulled Harry into a deep kiss. When he began to move his hand towards Harry’s thigh, Harry grabbed it, stopping him and breaking the kiss. “What’s wrong, Harry?” Draco asked.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not really in the mood for sex tonight… I’d much rather cuddle only. Is that okay with you? I mean, if you really want to do more, we can…”

“No. I don’t want to force you into anything. If you only want to cuddle tonight, that’s all we’ll do,” Draco said in a finite manner.

“I’m sorry. I just feel so tired.”

“You don’t need to apologize. Would you like music, too?”

“Please.” Harry cuddled close to Draco, one hand snaking around his waist and head resting on his chest.

Draco smiled and summoned the Walkman, putting the headphones in their ears and turning it on. He slid one arm around Harry, playing with his hair-- which caused Harry to begin purring a little, something that seemed to remain from his animagus form-- and then grasped Harry free hand with the other. After a while, they began singing along quietly to the music.

_“Still the rain kept pourin’ / Fallin’ on my ears / And I wonder, still I wonder / Who’ll stop the rain?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: A visit to Hogsmeade, and Harry makes another apparation mistake, leading to a very evil place.
> 
> Song at end is "Who’ll Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival


	16. Luna's Loose Lips and the Canal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Somewhere in dream there is an evil place  
> Where tall, deserted buildings crowd along  
> A deep, black, narrow channel, reeking strong  
> Of frightful things whence oily currents race.  
> Lanes with old walls half meeting overhead  
> Wind off to streets one may or may not know,  
> And feeble moonlight sheds a spectral glow  
> Over long rows of windows, dark and dead.
> 
> There are no footfalls, and the one soft sound  
> Is of the oily water as it glides  
> Under stone bridges, and along the sides  
> Of its deep flume, to some vague ocean bound.  
> None lives to tell when that stream washed away  
> Its dream-lost region from the world of clay."
> 
> \--H.P. Lovecraft, "Fungii from Yuggoth, XXIV: The Canal"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during, and mostly replaces, the rest of book chapter 21, "The Unknowable Room." In the book, Harry's friends go to Hogsmeade for extra apparition lessons, whereas Harry investigates what Malfoy has been up to. Here, there is no need to, so Harry goes to Hogsmeade too.

“Harry, come on, it’s a Hogsmeade weekend,” Draco prodded. “It’ll do you well to go.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“You’ve been lying on the couch all morning staring at the same page of that book, and I doubt you’re trying to memorize the steps to making cursed amulets, are you?”

“Well, no…”

“Then let’s go. Sirius and Lupin will be meeting us at Mindy’s for lunch; they’re probably already there.”

“Really?” Harry sat up, Selardi meowing in protest, as she had been snoozing on his back. “You didn’t tell me Sirius would be there!”

“Actually, I did, twice… Mindy gave special permission for him to meet us there, since he can’t exactly go anywhere else without getting arrested.”

Draco took a moment to attempt taming Harry’s hair, which had somehow become even messier from lying down, a feat he had thought impossible. Finally, when Draco was satisfied the hair was close enough to its normal messiness, they headed out, meeting their friends-- including Ginny, whom had had a row with Dean-- on the way, who were gathered in line waiting to be searched by Filch. The line was slightly backed up due to Luna arguing with Filch, who was trying to take her gurdyroot necklace.

“So, we’re all going to the Three Broomsticks after apparition lessons,” Ron announced to the couple. “You two want to meet us?”

“I don’t know if we’ll be free then,” Harry informed him. “We’re meeting Sirius and Lupin.”

“Oh, right… why can’t we go too, again?”

Draco sighed. “Because it’s at the place Lupin works at, which is generally only for non- and part-humans. It was difficult enough convincing Mindy to let on-- three humans go, let alone five or more.”

“But Luna’s allowed to go, and she’s human!”

“Actually, she’s one-eighth goddess,” Blaise pointed out. “Not exactly what the place is geared towards, but technically not fully human, and the only rule is no full-humans.”

“Doesn’t that make Fleur able to go, too?” Hermione mused. “She’s part veela.”

Harry laughed. “I suppose, though pretty sure she wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like that.”

Beep. Beep. Beep. “Oh? Looks like you have some sort of contraband there, Potter, once again,” Filch muttered smugly, waving around his secrecy sensor. “And the sensor definitely is not broken this time!”

‘More like, I’m the contraband,’ Harry thought darkly. Apparently, due to how such sensors were programmed, all magic not innate to humans registered with these things; this included vampire and cosmic being magic. “No, pretty sure your sensor is just busted,” Harry told him.

“Oh, no, I checked that beforehand! Now, hand them over…”

Harry tried putting a little force into his words, see if he could subtly influence Filch. “No, the sensor must be broken again. Both Draco and I are fine to pass.”

Filch frowned. “Hm. Actually, yes, the sensor seems broken again. Fine-- Potter, Malfoy, you may pass.”

“How did you do that?” Hermione wondered, once they’d all passed the checkpoint. “Influence Filch like that.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Harry lied. “His sensor broke again, that’s all.”

Hermione frowned. “I don’t know, his eyes looked a little glazed, almost like--”

Suddenly, a large black dog came leaping over, barking loudly as it tackled Harry.

“Sir- Snuffles!” Harry called excitedly, laughing. “Calm down! You’re so loud.”

Lupin caught up, panting. “Really, Padfoot, there’s no need to run ahead like that; we have the whole day with them!” He turned to the group. “I was thinking; I know you probably are busy with your own plans, but perhaps later today we could all meet up, as Snuffles here has been getting a bit stir-crazy. Some fresh air would be wonderful.”

Sirius woofed in response, and they all headed into Hogsmeade, breaking off into smaller groups along the way: Ron, Hermione, and Neville headed to extra apparition lessons, and Blaise and Ginny were going shopping for, of all things, a dress-- Daphne was holding a bridal shower soon, and, as Ginny was fighting with Dean, she had elicited Blaise’s help with finding a dress for it. According to Blaise, it was actually part of a ploy to make Dean jealous.

Soon, Lupin, Sirius, Draco, Luna, and Harry arrived at Mindy’s, which was, as usual at this hour, empty of customers. Mindy greeted them all with a huge smile, and hugs for Draco, Harry, and Lupin; Shiki was there, too, but merely nodding at them with a more modest smile. Sirius morphed back into human.

“Ah, and you must be Sirius!” Mindy greeted, shaking his hand. “I’m Mindy. Remus has told me much about you.”

“Has he, now?” Sirius raised an eyebrow, glancing towards Lupin. Was it Harry’s imagination, or was there a faint blush on the werewolf’s face?

“And you must be Luna,” Mindy continued, shaking her hand as well.

They all took a table together, and Mindy went to get them drinks.

Shiki looked at Luna curiously. “You have a goddess among your ancestry, I hear?”

Luna looked surprised at how Shiki had concluded such. “Yes. Though she is not a goddess of the type most think of--”

“As many modern western cultures think of, you mean,” Shiki corrected. “In the East, we have many of what are called gods and goddesses that interlope with humans. They are not all-powerful, merely reign over specific things, and can be harmed just as any creature can; some are more powerful than others, of course.”

“Oh, yes, it is closer to that!” Luna told her. “Karakal rules over a different world from here, called the Dreamlands, along with others like her. They call themselves the Great Ones.” 

“A different world?” Shiki asked. “My grandfather has told stories of travelling to such a place, though it is always difficult to tell if what he says is fantasy or reality. Tell me, what are these Dreamlands like? Are there beautiful birds of unclassifiable colours there, as he describes?” 

While Shiki was talking, Mindy returned with a large pitcher of butterbeer, a green drink for Shiki, and Harry and Draco’s usual bat-blood tea, though they hadn’t ordered those. “On the house,” she whispered to them, with a wink.

Luna’s eyes lit up. “Yes, there are! The Dreamlands are a very magical place, and sometimes new places are constructed within them when a powerful dreamer enters. To go to them, you must find a special passage in your dreams, be taken there by a sentient vehicle like the White Ship, find a portal, or be taken by a cosmic entity like Nyarlathotep or Harry. If you go in your dreams, which is the easiest way to get there, you can only stay for the time you’re asleep in most cases, thus can’t go on too long a journey, but dying there merely wakes you up, though you cannot go back via dreams after. If you go in your physical body, however, you can stay as long as you want, even centuries, as you won’t age while there. You must be careful, though, as some of its lands are very dangerous. I go in dreams often, and Harry and Draco have been too. Once, the three of us went there together physically, via the White Ship, and stayed there for over a month! Though it was only four days here-- time flows differently there. And Harry and Draco got trapped there once, but found a portal to go back, ending up in Michigan. Oh! I have a photo of the bird with me, actually! I have it in a locket here!” Luna took a small locket from under her robes. It opened accordion-style, allowing for six little photos, which she showed them: the first was of a beautiful bird, the colours of which you’ve never seen; the second was the photo of the three as animagi; the third was of her and Ginny; the fourth was a family photo of a young Luna, her mom, and her dad; the penultimate was a photo of Carcosa’s skyline; and the final one was--

“Hold on a second!” Draco exclaimed, blushing vigorously. “Why do you have that photo in your locket!?”

Luna looked at him, baffled. “Because you’re my best friends, and it’s an adorable photo.”

Harry turned bright red, as well. “Luna, that may be so, but it’s a bit embarrassing… if you want, you can have a photo of us hugging, I suppose, but not one of us making out while covered in blood…”

“Why not? Love is a wonderful thing.”

“I think it is cute, as well,” Shiki added.

“Yeah, well, most other people who see it won’t think it is,” Draco pointed out. “In fact, I’d say it’s safe to say they’d be quite disturbed by it!”

“Like we are,” Sirius pointed out, referring to him, Lupin, and Mindy, although the latter actually seemed unperturbed-- well, considering where she’d worked for years, that would make sense.

“Oh, fine,” Luna conceded. “I’ll use one without the blood.”

“That would be good,” Lupin said, pale-faced. “The other photos were nice, though. And that bird… wow.”

“Thank you for telling us so much about those Dreamlands, by the way,” Lupin stated. “Harry and Draco have been woefully vague about them, whenever asked.”

“And what is this about getting trapped there?” Sirius asked pointedly to Harry and Draco. “That’s how you actually ended up in Michigan? Not a rogue spell? And how did you even get there?”

“Oh, and also, Luna, you mentioned Harry being a cosmic entity?” Lupin questioned her.

“I’m not,” Harry replied.

“But you have powers from swallowing the Old One blood last year,” Luna said bluntly.

“Luna, what part of ‘secret’ do you not understand?” Draco asked.

“Secret? No one told me it was a secret…”

Draco closed his eyes. “I thought that was obvious… who else have you told?”

“Well, no one; the topic never came up.”

“Well, don’t tell anyone else without my permission, okay?” Harry informed her. “And stop telling people I am one; I’m as much as one as you’re a full goddess.” He turned to Sirius and Lupin. “I’m sorry I’ve kept it a secret; I didn’t want to worry you. You know how, at the Department of Mysteries, I latched onto the creature when trying to save Tonks, and ended up swallowing her blood? Well, apparently, that’s affected me somewhat. Not right away though...” Harry explained it all to them, including about Nyarlathotep, the earring, the amulet, how they got to Michigan, and their various Dreamlands journeys, the last portion which Draco and Luna also pitched in about.

“That’s hard to believe,” Lupin admitted, “Though I’ve seen some evidence myself, so I suppose I have to. You aren’t hiding anything else from us, are you?”

“I don’t think so,” Harry said, although he was-- namely, the firewhiskey and drugs.

“Wow. That’s quite a lot going on with you,” Mindy commented. “Should I get more drinks? Something stronger than butterbeer for you two, perhaps?” she asked Lupin and Sirius, who agreed and ordered something.

“I would like one of those red things they had,” Luna told Mindy.

“Dear, I do not think you would like that very much; the red coloration is from bat’s blood.”

“And we don’t need anymore, either,” Draco said. Harry glowered at him, but didn’t say anything-- he knew Draco was just trying to help him better manage his drinking, regardless of how annoying it was. They didn’t need a repeat of the previous Hogsmeade visit.

Mindy left for a bit, while Harry and Draco asked Shiki about her recent visit to Japan. Soon, she returned with their drinks-- whiskey sours for Lupin and Sirius, a repeat of the green drink for Mindy, and a yellow drink for her, with an identical one for Luna.

“It’s on the house,” Mindy told the girl. “A pine-sap daiquiri, one of my favorites.”

Luna took a tepid sip, then smiled. “It is wonderful! Tastes a little like maple… hmm, I suppose that makes sense, since maple is also a sap, right?”

“That’s correct.” Mindy smiled back. “You know, I’ve always wondered why humans are so ecstatic over maple, yet ignore the sap from other trees.”

“Oh, there are a lot of things like that,” Luna said knowingly. “Leaves are the same. Only some go in salads, yet there are plenty of others they could eat. Meat parts, too, like heart. That is a muscle, just like all the other cuts are, and tastes like such, yet it is cheapest merely because it’s a heart. People are strange.”

Mindy chuckled at that. “It’s good for my business though! Lots of creatures like heart, and it’s cheap.”

“It is tasty,” Harry mused. “We should order some of the heart-cheese dip again…”

“No!” Lupin called. “We agreed before-- no getting food here, only drinks.”

“We have more human-friendly food here, too,” Mindy pointed out.

“Yes, but then Harry gets left out,” Sirius said. “We can’t get food for us but then not let him just because we’re a little grossed out by his food preferences.”

“Besides, it’s getting late,” Lupin pointed out. “We’ve been here three hours already; it’s probably about time to head out.”

 

*******

 

“This not the pier.”

“Way to state the obvious, genius.” Harry’s voice was laden with sarcasm.

“Hey, no need for attitude!” Draco replied indignantly.

“Sorry,” Harry glowered. Why had they ended up here? He had been aiming for the lighthouse pier where the White Ship picked them up! His ability to apparate to the Dreamlands was shaky, true, but he’d always been able to get in the general vicinity of the pier, at least. There, the White Ship would pick them up, they would retrieve Luna, and go on some adventure or another, before dropping off Luna on her pier and the vampires returning via Hogwarts lake. True, he’d overshot a couple times, but it had always been somewhere near the pier, at least; this place, however, was completely unlike any he’d seen before…

“Well? Where are we, then?” Draco prodded. “Apparition can’t take you somewhere you haven’t been, right?”

“Apparently, that rule doesn’t apply to me. Come on, let’s find a way out; this place feels… evil.”

“Definitely,” Draco agreed. “There’s no way I’m waiting in this place for who knows how long until you’re able to transport us back.” They still had not determined how long it took for Harry’s ability to recharge.

The two began moving tepidly along the pathway beside the reeking oily canal whose thick waters churned as though they would soon enough leap out at them, its soughing the only thing one could hear in this place. To the sides of it lay a desolite, decrepit city, grey mists rolling through it, under a sky of red and grey clouds which set the whole landscape in an eerie crimson glow. The city possessed no signs of life whatsoever, save for the vague feeling that the churns in the water were not natural.

“Maybe we should try heading through the city instead,” Harry suggested in a whisper, as he he huddled close to Draco, holding his arm.

“Those streets look even worse than the canal,” Draco pointed out. “Besides, following the river will lead us to ocean eventually, where the White Ship can find us, if you still can’t go back by that time.”

“No, I really think we should stay away from here,” Harry insisted, shivering a little. “I can feel it… there’s an energy within, an evil magic infuses those waters. It’s darker than any dark magic. We need to leave.”

“Alright,” Draco agreed, very disconcerted by his boyfriend’s words. Harry rarely got frightened of things like this-- hell, he’d faced a dragon without blinking, and bit an Old One-- so it was best to listen when he was. Not that Draco wasn’t frightened either-- he certainly was-- but usually he could depend on Harry to be the anchor in situations like this.

The city’s streets and structures, made of what appeared to be clay, stood eerily still in the red glow. No wind blew, and nothing made a sound-- except for that wretched canal, which seemed to be audible through the entire city. Many of the buildings were half-crumbled, with some leaning so far over the streets that their walls nearly touched. The two strolled through it all cautiously, holding hands, constantly looking around in case of danger.

“There’s the canal again!” Draco repined. His voice, though a normal volume, seemed to explode through the silent city, so he lowered it to a whisper. “Did we go in a circle?”

“I don’t think so-- maybe it curves around,” Harry reasoned. “Look, there’s a stone bridge over it.”

“Think we should cross it?”

“Do we have a choice?”

The two slowly skittered over the bridge, trying not to look at the churning waters below. They tried to be as subtle as possible, stilling their breath, for it seemed as if they moved quickly, showed any fear, whatever lurked in there might attack.

“What the bloody hell is in that river?” Draco wondered, once they were a sufficient distance away.

“Whatever it is, it isn’t good; we NEED to get away from here!”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

Harry froze. “We need to run. Now. They’re coming.”

“What’s coming?” Draco moved to look behind them.

“No, don’t look! Just run!” Harry took off, Draco having no choice but to follow, as their hands were clenched together as tightly as welded metal-- not that he wouldn’t follow, anyway, for now he too felt the extreme dread of whatever creatures lurked behind them, ears filled with an unnatural insectoid buzzing.

The two ran for what seemed like hours through the misty streets of the desolate city, though in reality was probably only ten minutes. They couldn’t help but realize that without their vampiric speed and endurance, they’d have been devoured by the creatures long ago. They knew if they turned around, it would be the end. Finally, the couple emerged from the city onto a great moor, as the red clouds faded and a crystal blue sky shone through… the creatures seemed to fade away if they hit normal sunlight.

“Augh!” Harry screamed, and Draco turned-- he had tripped, at the very edge, and a tentacled, insectoid creature was trying to pull Harry back in! Draco grabbed Harry, and pulled, drawing him fully out of the place, though his leg had some deep gashes.

As soon as Harry stood, albeit shakily, they ran away from the city as fast as they could, despite the creatures no longer being a threat. Eventually, they turned to look back at the distant city, and saw nothing more but a blurry mass on the horizon, maring the lush green moor, the lumps of buildings surrounded by a thick grey mist, with grey and red clouds above it. With a start, they realized the canal running through it was currently beside them-- but through which ran crystal blue waters rather than oily sludge.

“I pity whichever dreamer lent to that place’s construction.” Draco shook his head in disbelief, already questioning his memory of what had just occurred.

“You know, we could really die here,” Harry commented, stumbling on the ground and holding his leg in pain. “Maybe we should start using the potion instead; in our dreams, injuries don’t hurt as much, won’t keep once we’re out, and we merely get kicked out if we die; if that happens, then we can use this way again.”

“But if we use the potion, you start hallucinating,” Draco pointed out.  
“Yes, but--”

“We are not using it, and that’s final.”

“...Fine.”

The two started as they heard a susurration from the nearby heath, preparing for the worst. “Meow.” They relaxed as a cat emerged from the bushes, then both acquired looks of bafflement.

“Mrs. Norris?” Harry asked charily, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. When the cat meowed in response, he knew it was she.

“Why is she here?” Draco questioned.

“It’s the Dreamlands. Pretty sure nothing ought to surprise us by now,” Harry said, still awed at her appearance. “Perhaps she found a dream-door.”

“Can cats even do that?”

“Well, they do dream when they sleep, don’t they?”

“Meow!” Mrs. Norris confirmed, before closing her eyes and vanishing-- in other words, waking up.

“If only we could do that, too,” Harry languished, staring around at the seemingly endless moor around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Someone unexpected in in the Dreamlands! More people discover Harry's secret!


	17. Dream-Steps and Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This also takes place during book chapter 21, "The Unknowable Room," again replacing most the events. Last one, promise! We'll get into more overlap with the books next chapter!

“Look! There’s something ahead!” Harry called. He and Draco had been wandering around the Dreamlands for nearly three weeks, bar a day or so of waiting for Harry’s leg to heal enough to walk, and yet Harry still hadn’t been able to go back to Earth yet. He was beginning to wonder if the apparition to here only went one-way.

“It looks like Dream-Steps,” Draco commented, as they emerged into a sunny clearing in the middle of a very normal-looking forest, with tall spiraling steps that vanished into a sparkling cloud ten or so meters up.

“So, it’s a way back home!”

“No, it’s a way people get here, via descending these in their dreams. Going up them will take us who-knows where, perhaps even into someone’s own dream-- and if that does happen, and they wake up, what happens to us?”

“Good point… hey, someone’s coming down!”

Draco pulled Harry behind a tree. “Quiet. We don’t want to be the ones to greet them… Harry?”

“It’s Hermione… Hey, Her--” 

“No!” Draco covered Harry’s mouth. “We don’t have our fangs or teeth hidden! She’ll find out!”

“Then we’ll put on glamour… oh, wait.” Their brand of magic didn’t work here.

“Is someone there?” Hermione asked warily.

“She thinks she’s dreaming, right? Actually, technically, she is,” Harry muttered to Draco. “Let’s just play that route.”

Draco sighed. “I suppose.” The two stepped out from behind the tree. 

Hermione inhaled sharply, then breathed out as she noticed who is was. “Oh, thank goodness, it’s only you! It’s so strange; I was on the beach, on vacation with my parents, you know, when I stumbled upon these strange steps, and they just looked so intriguing… oh! Where did the steps go? How will I get back?!”

“You get back by waking up,” Harry told her.

“I’m… dreaming?” Hermione blinked. “Oh. Yes, I must be; there’s no way I was on a beach, my parents are… wait a second. You look different…” Her eyes widened. “You’re vampires! I knew it! Wait, if this is a dream, my subconscious is probably playing me… damn.”

“Wait, what do you mean, you ‘knew it’?” Harry asked, eyes narrowing.

“She’s too bloody clever,” Draco muttered.

Hermione frowned. “This feels different from a normal dream.”

“That’s because you’re in a very special place!” Harry smiled as one would to a child, indicating for Draco to play along. If they acted out of character, perhaps she wouldn’t realize it was the real them.

“A land of utmost wonder,” Draco added. “There are places here you’d never fathom to be possible, and we, my cute little angel, will show you them, if you’ll allow us.” He winked.

Hermione laughed. “Did you just flirt with me, Draco? Well, that cinches it-- definitely a dream! Sure, show me these strange lands. Let me guess, they’re those places you talked about while high? What were they, Carracosta, Demme, Cellophases, and Ulthar?”

“Carcosa, Demhe, Celephaïs, and Ulthar,” Draco corrected. 

“And not all of those are best for humans,” Harry added. “Let’s see… Ulthar sounds like a nice bet, huh, Draco?”

Draco smiled. “Yes it does! Plenty of cute little kittens for the little angel to play with!”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Okay, I understand you’re figments of my dreams, but can you at least act a little like your normal selves, before you drive me insane?”

 

*******

 

Harry apparated himself and Draco perfectly into the lounge. Harry had finally been able to get them back from the Dreamlands; he felt a little proud of himself for finally being able to apparate out, especially as he had been starting to doubt the ability went both ways. It was early in the morning-- how long had they been gone? One day? Two? Would it be like their journey on the White Ship to Ulthar, where people's memories of their vanishment were fuzzy? Or was that unique to the White Ship’s power?

Someone yawned from the nearby couch, and the two vampires froze. They turned around, to find Hermione staring at them. “Oh, hello,” She said sleepily. “It’s about time you’ve returned; you’ve been gone two days, missed all your classes… oh. Am I still dreaming? I must be, you two still have fangs…”

Harry and Draco closed their agape mouths, then moved to run from the room, slamming into Blaise, whom had just walked in.

“Well, look who’s back from Candyland,” Blaise teased. “Oh? You’re still here, Hermione? Did you fall asleep after we left?”

“Er, yes, I suppose I did,” she blushed. 

Harry noticed some firewhiskey bottles around; they must have been partying the previous night. “What day is it?” Harry asked.

“Saturday,” Blaise told him. “Last anyone saw you was Wednesday night; Luna said you’d probably gone to the Dreamlands again, since you said you’d meet her there. Why didn’t you meet her this time? She seemed distraught.”

“Logistical error,” Harry muttered. “Don’t ask for details; it wasn't pretty.”

“I’m not still dreaming, then?” Hermione asked, confused. “You two actually are vampires?”

“What? Hermione, you went to the Dreamlands?!” Blaise exclaimed.

“She found Dream-Steps,” Draco explained. “Regular people can go to the Dreamlands if they find a special stairway to it within their own dreams. We just happened to coincidentally be there at the same time she descended them.”

“Damn. I’m jealous. I’ve been asking these two to take me for a year now, but they still can’t convince the White Ship to take normal humans there, and I surely haven’t seen a stairway… If only I could look while being aware of it, rather than waiting to happen upon it… oh!” Blaise turned to Harry and Draco excitedly. “Do you have any more of that lucid-dreaming draught?”

Harry glanced quickly at Hermione, judging her response. “Er. No, Sirius and Lupin confiscated that, remember?”

“But Luna got you more.”

“Well, yeah, but that’s gone too…”

“Then how have you been getting there without that? Because you’ve definitely mentioned going there since, and the White Ship can’t possibly be going to the lake to collect you every time you want to go… Did you find another way to sleep? Or a passage somewhere?”

“Might I ask what you’re all talking about?” Hermione interceded before Harry or Draco could answer. “What’s this about another illegal potion? And how long have you two been vampires? And why does Blaise know all this, yet you haven’t told me? You’ve known me much longer,” Hermione sounded hurt.

“Ah, Hermione, he didn’t find out intentionally,” Harry tried explaining. “We didn’t plan on anyone finding out about being vampires-- he walked in on us, er, well, you know, and he knows about the Dreamlands because he was involved in that ritual which showed him them… and we figured you wouldn’t believe us anyway... hey, wait, I told you about them before! You just dismissed it as delusions from being high. Well, Ulthar is real, and you’ve seen it now.”

Hermione blushed. “I suppose so. Honestly, though, it really did sound like pure fantasy!”

“So did magic, until you got to Hogwarts,” Harry pointed out.

“Well, yes, that’s true, but you’d also clearly been high when talking about it before!” she defended. “Anyway, you better give me a full explanation about all this vampire business! I mean, I had my suspicions, but how did it happen? Who else knows? Does Ron?”

“None of the Weasleys know,” Draco informed her. “Very very few of this world do. All but Snape and I found out about Harry’s status unintentionally-- me because I turned him, and Snape because he brews a potion that allows us to not require human blood. After that, Lupin’s wolf senses alerted him to it, and then he forced us to tell Sirius before he found out, as he would have as soon as he became a dog and smelled us. Mad-eye knows because of his eye. Hagrid knows because we stumbled on him and Grawp during a hunting trip--”

“I knew it wasn’t a normal walk!” Hermione interjected. “Sorry. Continue.”

“Luna knows because she can apparently see rings around people’s necks when they’re close to a natural death, but creatures that don’t naturally die get gold rings instead-- don’t ask for details, we don’t know much either. Pomfrey knows because Harry gets hurt a lot, and the rest who know are the ones who survived being in the room with the Old One at the ministry battle when Harry decided to fight with his fangs when his wand was knocked away. So that would be Neville, Dumbledore, the Dark Lord, and Bellatrix.”

“I see. You should have told me after it happened though!” She glared at Harry. “Ron, too! Did you really think we’d be scared away or something? Harry, you’re my best friend; you should know I wouldn’t abandon you because of that.”

“I know…” Harry trailed. “I know it was irrational to think that. And I did think about saying something, many times, but I just got nervous, and then so much time passed that I thought you’d be mad about me not telling you, so I put it off again…”

Hermione sighed. “I figured as much. You’ve done that with a lot of things… Harry, you have to learn to trust people more. Next time, tell us right away. It only causes you more hurt and worry to hide these things than it would outright saying something, and makes your friends hurt, too, knowing you’re hiding something, and then finding out on their own. It’s always worse to hide; I would have thought you’d realized that by now.”

“I know… it’s just difficult to say something, when your mind is irrationally telling you that it’ll make all those close to you hate you…”

“So, how long has it been?” Hermione asked calmly. “Close to a year, right? That so-called potions accident that you wouldn’t give details about-- afterwards, Madam Pomfrey began giving you those red ‘nutrition potions’ that looked suspiciously like that ‘antidote’ Draco brought you then. I looked it up; no nutrition potion is that color.”

Harry stared at her in surprise. “Well, that incident was when she found out, but I turned a while before that… you’ve suspected since then?”

“Hey, people don’t call me ‘the cleverest witch of her age’ for nothing. I can put two and two together. That just sprung minor suspicions though; took a while before I put together the rest, but I’ve been pretty confident of you being vampires for months, or if not vampires, something similar. Definitely not human though.” Hermione seemed extremely pleased with herself. “But, I didn’t say anything, because I wanted you to divulge it yourself… should have known you wouldn’t though. Anyway, you can explain things more when I get Ron down here-- he needs to know, too.”

“What! No!”

Draco sighed. “Harry, she’s right; you have to tell him. And, as I’ve mentioned before, the rest of his family, too; it’ll make things much easier, and I can guarantee you that they aren’t going to abandon you nor reveal it to anyone.”

“Reveal what? That you’re vampires?” Ginny asked, from the doorway. They all stared at her in in shock, wondering when she’d gotten there. “Yeah, having a door that opens entirely silently isn’t the brightest of ideas.”

“You knew?” Harry asked, pale-faced. “How? Since when?”

“Luna’s dropped hints before, unintentionally. Plus, she has an extremely risque photo of you two in her locket…”

“What!” Draco yelped. “I thought we told her to replace that! She showed you?!”

“She did replace it, don’t worry. And I don’t think she meant to show me; she tried keeping the last fold of the locket closed, but the clasp accidentally popped open. Then she began whining how you two had a beautiful love yet were trying to hide it-- not the vampire part, but the relationship part; this was before the Daily Prophet revealed it. I honestly don’t think she even realizes the actual reason you’d rather that photo not float around.”

“Right, so as of now, Ron’s the only one of our group who doesn’t know,” Hermione noted. “I’m going to go retrieve him, and you’re telling us all the entire story.” She darted out of the room.

Luna made her way there while they were waiting on Hermione, whom shortly later arrived with both Ron and Neville-- they had been playing chess together, and Neville had guessed at what “Harry has something to tell you” was and asked to come along, too.

“Hey, it’s the entire crew, now!” Blaise pointed out. “Well, minus Daphne and Adrian. Me, Harry, Draco, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and Ron!”

“You’re including me in your group?” Ron asked, finding a seat.

“Well, yes, of course. You were at the Ministry last year and everything; you are definitely part of the group, even if you still hate me and Draco.”

“I don’t hate you,” Ron said casually. “So, Harry, Hermione says you have something to tell…” Ron’s eyes widened in shock as he looked upon his friend-- the shock wasn’t due to the fact that Harry was sitting in Draco’s lap, as that was typical, but that both boys had catlike eyes and Draco smiled slightly to show off fangs, which a clearly reluctant Harry did as well after a nudge from his boyfriend. His mouth opened and closed, as if he couldn’t figure out what to say.

“You’re going to catch flies like that, dear brother,” Ginny commented. “Yes, they are vampires.”

“Wait, you knew about this?!”

“Luna has a bit of a fangirl obsession with the two of them, and accidentally showed me a certain photo that--”

“I do not have an obsession!” Luna protested. “They just happen to be adorable together, especially when they’re biting--”

“Okay, that’s enough, Luna!” Blaise called loudly.

“Wait, did you all know about this?! Why am I the last--”

“Calm down, Ron!” Hermione called. “Listen, I only officially found out today, too, and Harry didn’t even know Luna had told Ginny; neither of us know any more about the story than you. Luna knew because she’s Luna, Blaise walked in on them... in a compromising position, and Neville found out… well, I’ll let them explain that one. You weren’t being left out; it’s just like with their relationship, it all just got discovered on its own…”

“You’re actually pretty lucky you found out this way,” Blaise pointed out. “Beats the way I found out.”

“Or me!” Neville added. “Although I don’t even think knowing could have prepared me for that situation...” He shivered slightly.

“We brought you here so everyone can get an explanation of everything together,” Draco explained to Ron.

“Everything?” Luna asked. “Oh! So you’re telling them about being a cosmic entity as well?”

“Luna, for the last time, I am NOT one of those!” Harry proclaimed. 

“What’s a cosmic entity?” Neville inquired.

“I got some strange abilities after biting the Old One last spring,” Harry huffed, clearly annoyed. “Which I guess I’ll be explaining too, seeing as someone here doesn’t know the meaning of a secret!” he glared at Luna.

“But he said ‘everything’…” Luna muttered, wilting.

“Harry!” Ginny scolded, reminding Harry of her mother.

“So THAT’s how you’ve been getting into the Dreamlands without using the lucid-dreaming draught!” Blaise exclaimed. “You can go there using those powers! Right?”

Everyone had begun talking at once, to Harry’s frustration. “Can everyone just BE QUIET for two minutes!” he roared, unintentionally putting his power into it. They all immediately ceased speaking and looked towards Harry, who clutched his forehead-- using the command had brought a wave of pain and he could see black spots in his eyes. 

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Draco immediately asked, looking worriedly at his boyfriend. “Is it your scar?”

“No, not the scar, just painful…” He removed his hands. “It’s gone now, mostly… but I think I did something…”

“It seems they cannot speak,” Luna noted.

Draco and Harry glanced around. As Luna said, no one else seemed able to speak, although it looked like they were trying... until an entire two minutes had passed from when Harry requested they be quiet.

“Was that one of those powers…?” Neville asked warily.

“I didn’t mean to do that,” Harry mumbled. “I’m really sorry.”

“But why didn’t it affect everyone?” Ginny asked.

“I would assume it’s because neither Draco nor Luna are fully human,” Hermione reasoned.

“Wait, Luna’s a vampire too?” Ron asked, looking baffled.

Luna sighed. “Unfortunately not…” then, she perked up. “But I am one-eighth goddess!”

“Goddess.”

“Yes! My great-grandmother is Karakal, one of the Great Ones of the Dreamlands! Someday, I will meet her.”

Rom looked around at the others. “You don’t all honestly believe she’s…”

Hermione laughed. “Honestly? I feel like I’m pretty inclined to believe anything now.”

“Right…” he looked skeptically at Hermione. “So, Harry, mate, how about that explanation as to what the hell is going on? Why are you a vampire? Did HE do this to you?” Ron glared at Draco.

“Well, technically speaking--”

“I knew it! I knew he was bad news!” Ron tried to jump up, only to be held down by Ginny and Hermione.

“No, wait, Ron, it wasn’t like that! He saved my life!” Harry blurted out, preventing his friend from getting too worked up. “There was an… incident, during the autumn of fifth year. Draco saved my life. That’s how we first became… I don’t know if friendly is the right word, but he and Snape, who makes the potions, were the ones to help get me through things. Then Snape made us potions partners and we got to talking, and realized we were both a lot different than we thought, and tried being friends, which rapidly became, well, you know…”

It took the better part of an hour, but finally an entire explanation had been given as to the vampire thing and cosmic entity thing, with Draco and Luna helping explain on occasion. Well, Draco helped, at least-- Luna merely provided vague commentary that either was awkward for everyone there or required more explaining.

“Wait. So if these Dreamlands really do exist, you really did make a demon deal to become animagi?” Ron asked. “You weren’t pulling our leg?”

Hermione gasped. “That’s right! I mean, yes, we saw you had the sigils, but just assumed the story was result of being high or something…”

“So, what was the deal, then?” Blaise asked excitedly.

“Really? This is the part you all lock onto?” Draco sighed.

“Yes, it is!” Hermione huffed. “Demons are evil creatures! Consorting with them is really dangerous!”

“But Shiki isn’t dangerous,” Luna commented. “She’s really nice. Much nicer than some of the girls in my house. She treats me like a real person.” Everyone else looked at each other uneasily.

“Is that the demon you made the deal with?” Ginny broke the awkward silence.

“No, Shiki is the girlfriend of the owner of the pub Lupin works at,” Draco clarified. 

“She’s from Japan,” Luna added.

“So that’s the real reason why you were allowed to visit Sirius there but we weren’t!” Ron realized.

“That slip-up helped confirm my theory that you weren’t human,” Hermione proudly stated. “Draco, you started to say one, then changed it to three, when referring to the number of humans going to the pub.”

“Of course you would catch that…” Draco grumbled.

“And Luna, you really are an animagus too, then?” Hermione asked. “They weren’t joking? You have the sigil too?”

“Oh, yes! Look!” Luna pulled open her robes a bit too far as she tried to show them it, and everyone turned aside blushing.

“Right, yes, we see it, Luna. Er. But surely you aren’t a jackalope? Those don’t exist,” Hermione stated. “Are you a cat, as well?”

“No, I’m a jackalope. See?” Luna sprung, landing in the middle of the table in the form of a rabbit the size of a maine coon cat with brilliant antlers, to most everyone’s surprise. She then tried to jump onto Harry’s lap, which was difficult, as he was on Draco’s lap and she was large, but somehow managed.

“Luna, off!” Harry called, pushing her away. “You need to be human now.” Luna changed back, pouting as she retook her seat.

“I guess jackalopes are real, then?” Blaise uttered in awe.

“I don’t know,” Neville pondered, amusement lighting his voice. “It is Luna, after all. If anyone could end up with an animagus form of a fantasy creature, it would be Luna.”

“So, Harry.” Hermione brought the attention away from Luna and back to him. “There’s still some things you glossed over and haven’t explained, despite saying you’d tell us everything.”

“Is there?” Harry kept his tone light. “I’m pretty sure there’s no more secrets…” 

“Well, for one, there’s this ‘incident’ that required your life to be saved. Pretty vague.”

“Give me that,” Harry grabbed Luna’s bottle of firewhiskey and took a swig, burping a fireball.

Draco gently lifted the bottle away from Harry. “This should be in the cabinet. Er.” He looked around for his wand, but couldn’t see anything around Harry, who was still on his lap and trying to swipe the bottle back. “Could someone help with this?” Neville came to the rescue, grabbing the bottle, taking a swig himself, then sticking it back into the cabinet.

“Come on, mate, why won’t you tell us?” Ron pondered. “Were you doing something dangerous? Sneaking through the forest, when you ran into one of Hagrid’s acromantulas? Tried wrestling the giant squid? Attempting to create new spells, and one backfired?”

Luna made a little whine at that, and shrunk into her chair; Ginny, sitting next to her, quietly tried comforting her friend. It wasn’t Ron’s fault he didn’t know about Luna’s mother.

“Ron, leave him alone,” Neville said. “If he doesn’t want to tell you, he doesn’t have to.”

“Oh? What, is this another thing where you all know it, but not me?”

Harry bit his lip, pressing closer to Draco. He felt trapped. His heart raced. “No,” he muttered, nearly inaudible.

“He doesn’t want to say,” Draco told them. “And it’s not necessary you know, so please don't ask further into that.”

Hermione frowned. “Okay… well, then, how about this: why do you still see Madam Pomfrey for lunches even after she found out you didn’t need to?”’

“That too is confidential,” Draco asserted.

“And the incident causing Madam Pomfrey to find out you’re a vampire. Vampires are pretty durable; what sort of incident would do that? It definitely was not a potions incident; never bought that for a moment.”

Draco sighed. “Still confidential.”

“Oh, be quiet with the bloody ‘confidential’ crap!” Ron bellowed, storming over to them. “We’re his friends! Harry, stop trying to hide; stand up, and tell us.” He grabbed Harry’s wrist to try to pull him up; Harry didn’t budge, but his robe arm slid down, revealing a forearm marred with a deep vertical scar-- the cover-up had worn off long ago, and there’d been no time to re-apply any. Ron gasped, letting go as he stepped back.

In response, Harry went into animagus form, and tried burrowing between Draco and the armchair. Draco grabbed his boyfriend by the scruff of his neck, and held him in front of his face. “You can’t run away from this; he’s already seen it.”

“Mew!” Harry complained.

“It’s been nearly a year and a half. Long in the past. There’s no reason to avoid speaking of it entirely; for once, I agree with Ron-- they’re your friends, there’s no need to hide from them.”

“Meow.” Came the stubborn reply.

“Well, if you won’t tell them, I will…”

“NO!” Harry called, back on Draco’s lap in vampire form, covering Draco’s mouth with both hands, breathing hard and shaking. “Don’t… please don’t… I already said enough tonight, haven’t I?” he pleaded.

“Harry, are you… crying?” Hermione wondered.

“N-no.” Harry tried calming down, but his heart only seemed to beat even more rapidly in response. He scratched violently at his arm. He couldn’t be having an attack in front of everyone, no, no… and there was no escape either, no place to hide and let it pass in quiet… they already knew he was messed up in all sorts of other ways, they didn’t need to know his mind was messed up as well… although they probably already realized that, from the very second Hermione had questioned about the ‘incident’... everything around him seemed to be spinning… He thought these attacks were done away with, he hadn’t had one in a while, why was he having one now, of all times… 

“Here, this will help,” Neville whispered, trying to subtly hand a calming draught to Harry.

“Neville!” Hermione exclaimed. “Now is not the time for drugs!” She tried to grab it from Neville, who whisked it away before she could.

“It’s a calming draught,” Neville explained to her calmly. “He’s having a panic attack.”

Hermione looked confused. “He’s having a… oh.” Understanding dawned.

Neville gave the potion to Draco, who was currently trying to prevent Harry from scratching his arms, as the vampire had already managed to draw some blood. With some coaxing, he got Harry to down the potion, and after a few minutes, with Draco holding him tightly, Harry had calmed down reasonably enough to have a more or less cohesive conversation.

“You okay now, my little kitten?” Draco asked calmly.

“S-sorry you all had to see that,” Harry muttered, breaking away from Draco to turn towards the others yet avoiding anyone’s eye. “F-funny, huh? A vampire, of all things, g-getting panic attacks.”

“It’s not funny, and there’s nothing to be sorry about,” Draco told Harry firmly, glancing around as if daring anyone to challenge this, which of course they didn’t.

“Look, mate, I’m sorry I tried to push things like that,” Ron apologized. 

“It’s f-fine. You didn’t know,” Harry accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Another potions mishap! A game of poker! Aragog's funeral! A memory unveiled!


	18. The Elephant-Toad and Slughorn's Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during book chapter 22, "After the Burial," 23, "Horcruxes," and the first few pages of 24, "Sectumsempra."

“I don’t think this will work, after all.” Harry glowered at the little yellow vial. He didn’t even need to smell it, yet he felt like heaving up breakfast right on the common-room floor-- although the carpet wouldn’t even be affected, as it was bright red anyway.

“But the memory is really important!” Hermione insisted. “Again, what could you possibly be saving that potion for? You only need to use an hour’s worth anyway, and you have twelve there!” Despite many attempts, Harry had thus far had no luck catching Slughorn on his own to even mention the memory, let alone convince him to give it up. Then, they’d remembered that Harry conveniently had a potion that could correct that: felix felicis.

“Actually, it’s not that… you, er, remember when Pomfrey tried giving me that sobering solution? I think they might share a common ingredient.”

“Ah, that’s right. You’re allergic to squill.”

“Well, it can’t be that bad, can it?” Ron piped up. “Just endure it or whatever.”

“If by endure it, you mean projectile vomit a combination of the potion and blood all over you, then sure, I'd love to!” Harry told him with sarcastic happiness.

Ron made a face of disgust. “Okay, okay, I get it. Potion is a no-go.” He sighed. “Well, we’ll think of something. Maybe you can manage to corner him after class today, since most the class will be taking our apparition tests.”

“Yeah, maybe. If not, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow, as I’m helping Hagrid bury Aragog tonight.”

“You’re seriously going to do that? He tried to eat us!” Ron marvelled.

“Well, he’s made it part of our NEWT class, so yeah, I kinda have to, don’t I?” Harry grumbled. “Besides,” Harry chuckled. “He also promised me a chicken if I go!”

“A chicken?” Ron queried. “Why would that… oh, gross!” Harry burst into laughter once Ron realized the implication.

“Right, well, we have to get to the test, and you have to get to class now,” Hermione said hurriedly, in a clear attempt to move away from the topic of chicken blood. “Ron, let’s go… oh, for goodness sake, it isn’t Lavender, it’s your sister!” Ron had ducked away again, as he’d been doing every time a girl entered the room.

“Did I miss something?” Ginny asked.

“Ron seems to think that avoiding Lavender is better than simply telling her he’s finished,” Harry told her.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Well, good luck with that.”

“Oh, like you and Dean are doing so great together,” Ron retorted.

“Actually, yes, we are. He came back to me begging; seems he regained some sense upon realizing he couldn’t bear seeing me in Hogsmeade with some other guy.” Ginny’s eyes sparkled victoriously as she strutted away.

The trio gathered up their things and all headed out, departing at the dungeon entrance as Ron and Hermione had their apparition tests in Hogsmeade whereas Potions class was, as always, in the dungeons. 

The only people in class were Harry, Draco, and a Hufflepuff named Ernie; therefore, Slughorn decided to merely assign the task of brewing something “fun.”

“[This is brilliant,]” Harry whispered to Draco. “[Once Ernie leaves, Slughorn will be stuck with us, and we can get him to give up the memory!]”

“[Unless Slughorn realizes this too, and runs out on us,]” Draco pointed out.

“[Well, I was thinking; if I use my compulsion powers…]”

“[You’ll pass out before it’s strong enough to influence his will.]”

“[Well, it’s worth a shot…]”

“[No. You’re not going to get hurt over this.]”

“[But Dumbledore says…]”

“[Find a different way. Maybe… tell him the truth about the horcruxes. Let him know that memory is the key to defeating the Dark Lord permanently.]”

“[I can’t do that! Dumbledore specifically told me not to mention anything about Voldemort actually having them already.]”

“My, my, boys, what an engaging conversation!” Slughorn interjected. “At least, I assume it is, seeing as it has prevented you from starting your work! You boys don’t want Ernie to win by default, do you? Hmm. What language is that, by the way?”

“Er… Akkadian?” Harry ventured, grabbing at the first lesser-known language he could think of, in hopes Slughorn wouldn’t know it and catch the bluff.

“Akkadian! Who knew there were still still those who spoke it; thought it was lost to time! You learn something new everyday… well, get to work now, chop chop!”

“[Great,]” Draco sighed, flicking through his book. “[Better hope he doesn’t brag about having students who speak a dead language, or we’ll be getting scholars down our throats wondering how we know something no one has heard spoken in nearly two millennia.]”

“[Well, to be fair, for all we know it could be; time doesn’t exactly have any bearing over there.]”

Harry settled on a Euphoria Elixir, whereas Draco chose a Hiccupping Solution.

“[Hiccups aren’t really that much fun,]” Harry pointed out to Draco, when their potions were nearly done.

“[Oh? Then what would you have had me choose, oh god of potions?]”

“[Let’s see what happens when you add Old One blood to it.]”

“[No. No, no, no. Remember what happened last time you tried that?]”

“[Distinctly. Come on, please? It’ll be fun!]” Harry begged.

“[... Okay, fine. But, I’m collecting a sample first, then we put it in...both of them!]” Draco grinned mischievously.

“[Maybe we can mix the two potions together, too!]”

“[Now that’s going to far.]”

Harry and Draco collected samples from their completed potions first, then when Slughorn’s back was turned, Harry quickly nicked his thumb with a blade and trickled a few drops of blood in each potion…

“[I think it’s safe to conclude that Old One blood creates living things when added to potions,]” Harry stated, staring at the results of their experiment with an expression of pure awe.

“[Yes, I think that’s a pretty good conclusion,]” Draco agreed, utterly flummoxed at the visage of the creatures before them.

“Merlin!” Slughorn exclaimed, hustling over. “What have you two managed this time!”

“A Euphoria Elixir and Hiccupping Solution?” Draco suggested, with Harry nodding his head in agreement.

“Boys, last I checked, neither of those potions were alive!”

At these words, the potion-creatures began to move. The Hiccupping Solution, in the appearance of a radial four-headed six-legged toad, hopped vibrantly around the room, spewing trails of steaming acid from its feet every time it hiccupped.

The Euphoria Elixir, in the appearance of a bright yellow dog-sized elephant, stood still while it happily trumpeted multicoloured confetti that exploded into little harmless electric sparks whenever it hit something, with the occasional extra-long trumpet resulting in what appeared to be the types of fireworks Fred and George had unleashed the previous year. Perhaps he could give it to them as a mascot for their shop.

Suddenly, the frog and elephant collided in a flash of periwinkle light, causing them to merge and double in size, creating a golden hovering radial thing with five elephant-eared frog heads, a trunk emerging from the center, ten tentacles-- six looking vaguely frog-like and four vaguely elephant-like-- and a tiny tail trailing underneath. Its eyes were black voids. Periodically, it would burp confetti that burst into bits of acid, and trumpet fireworks that seared everything they touched.

Needless to say, class ended early on that note, and, as no one again could halt the creature, the Ministry had to be called in, and Harry did not get a chance to speak with Slughorn about the memory.

 

*******

 

“Are you four gambling?!” Hermione gasped, as she entered the lounge. She, Ron, and Blaise had returned from their apparition tests, finding Harry, Draco, Luna, and Neville engaged in a card game. “I don’t believe you. I’m a prefect, you know!”

“Yes, and if you try to write us up for this, we’ll just let them know how much you enjoy firewhiskey,” Draco informed her nonchalantly. “Raise.”

“What! That’s blackmail!”

“He’s a Slytherin, what do you expect?” Harry teased. “Fold.”

“I fold too,” Neville sighed. “So, how’d apparition tests go?”

“Well, I passed,” Hermione began, “but the others, well…”

“All in!” Luna loudly exclaimed, beaming, making all turn to look.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her, before pushing some more galleons into the pile. “Fine. Let’s see them, then.” They compared hands.

“Yay! I win, again!” Luna cheered, surrounded by sparkling stars, pulling the pile of galleons over to her.

“I call shenanigans!” Draco protested. “No way you can get two Royal Flushes in a row!”

“How high stakes are you even playing with?” Ron gaped.

“Um. I think there’s forty or fifty here?” Luna mused, evaluating the pile she’d just collected.

“Forty… or… fifty…” Ron looked faint.

“How do you all even have that kind of money to play with?” Hermione asked, suspicious. “I know Harry and Neville have family money, although I didn’t think Neville’s grandmother would let him do this with it--” Neville paled at those words-- “but Draco, you’ve been cut off, and Luna, well…”

“Oh, I just mooch of Harry now,” Draco claimed unabashedly.

“And I get lots of money from Blaise when I give him--” Luna was cut off as Blaise covered her mouth.

Hermione looked scandalized. “Blaise! Don’t tell me you’ve dragged Luna into your drug syndicate!”

“I have a syndicate now? Neat. Though if it is, I suppose she’d be above me; I just bring what she brings me to the guy I get us the other stuff from.”

“You know what, I don’t want to hear it; the less I know, the less guilty I feel for not reporting it. So, Harry, how’d attempting to speak to Slughorn go?”

Harry coughed on the bit of firewhiskey he’d just swallowed. “Er. Well. There was a bit of an, er, mishap…”

Hermione sighed. “Of course there was. What happened now?”

“You mean you didn’t hear anything while heading here? The potions classroom can’t be all clear already!” Draco marvelled.

“YOU’RE the cause for the potions room being closed off, with a gaping hole in it? I should have guessed...”

“Er, yeah,” Harry admitted. “We kinda created, er, some sort of dangerous creature. Again. Seems that’s what happens when you add a mix of vampire and Old One blood to a potion. We were just playing around, honestly; we had no idea that would happen!”

“The golden elephant wasn’t so bad, actually; kinda fun, Fred and George would have loved it,” Draco informed them. “But when it combined with the four-headed frog… I think it might have been worse than the squid, burned a hole straight through the wall, and Harry got a nasty burn on his leg.”

“You don’t want to see it,” Harry assured the curious looks. “Anyway, it’s about time we get to Hagrid’s, Blaise, Draco, Neville. Offer is still open for anyone else to go too.”

“I will go,” Luna informed them, standing up and shoving her freshly-won galleons into a robe pocket that must have been enchanted.

“Yeah, no way I’m attending a funeral for a giant spider that tried to kill me,” Ron said flatly, with Hermione agreeing.

Thus, the group of five headed down to Hagrid’s hut as the sun set.

“Hey, wait a second,” Harry paused. “I think I hear Slughorn, talking to Sprout.”

“How? I don’t hear anything,” Neville commented.

“Vampire senses, I’d assume,” Blaise concluded.

“Maybe we can get him to visit Hagrid with us?” Luna suggested. “I feel that’ll be good, though I don’t know why.”

The others shrugged. Why not? Luna often had good instincts for such things, and they didn’t even need to detour. When they encountered Slughorn, they explained where they were going, and he even offered to go with without them needing to ask! Something about acromantula venom being valuable. He hurried back to the castle to change and get them drinks for afterwards.

Hagrid had gotten them permission to be there after sundown, under the guise of it being for class. Thus, he showed them how to prepare the body, and taught them a little about acromantulas, although making it a lesson was extremely difficult as Hagrid was crying profusely. Soon, Slughorn returned to join them, and the funeral got underway after he extracted some venom, unbeknownst to the half-giant, under the pretense of examining the creature in awe, while everyone except Hagrid tried to think of some kind words to say, despite not really having any. Hagrid luckily seemed too engrossed in his speech and emotions to notice they only said a few generic words, of the ones who spoke.

Once the spider was buried, they went back to Hagrid’s hut, and proceeded to drink, and drink, and drink… Well, most of them did, at least. Draco cut Harry off fairly quickly, whispering to him that it might be a good time to try snagging the memory, while Slughorn wasn’t thinking well. Harry agreed, and after a few hours, once Hagrid had fallen asleep, Slughorn found himself pressured by four of the five students-- Luna had fallen asleep-- about the memory, promising he’d be seen as a hero, not horrid, for giving it up, and he finally caved before falling asleep himself; chances were he would not recall any of that in the morning, either, which would be a very good thing.

The group headed back to the castle, Draco carrying the sleeping Luna… and ran into Dumbledore on the way back, who was apparently returning from wherever he had gone off to.

“My my!” He said, clearly surprised. “And why might you all be out at this late hour! Surly the burial did not last that long?” He narrowed his eyes. “And why is Miss Luna asleep? And half of you seem very drunk…” He looked pointedly at Neville and Blaise.

“We got the memory!” Harry proclaimed, and the proceeded to explain what had gone on.

Dumbledore sighed. “I must talk to those two about allowing students to imbibe that much… however, in light that it provided the opportunity to collect the memory, I will let it slide, especially since you seem to have managed to control yourself for once, Harry. I’m proud of you.” He smiled kindly as Harry blushed.

“However,” Dumbledore frowned. “You seem to have told an awful amount of people of this.”

“Well, you did say I could tell my close friends.”

“Yes, I suppose I did… I just hadn’t realized you had quite so many; I expected it to only be Ron, Hermione, and Draco.”

“Well, Blaise, Luna, and Neville are all very involved in this too; they were at the Ministry last year, after all. They deserve to know, as they’ve decided to continue helping me.”

“And we always will, Harry!” Blaise proclaimed exuberantly.

“Well, it is always good to have more people you can strongly depend on,” Dumbledore smiled. “We can see the memory now, if you wish. Just Harry and Draco,” he said, turning to the others. “You three are much too drunk to use a pensieve, and I still would like things to remain semi-private, at least.”

Neville and Blaise grumbled as they returned to the lounge with Luna, who had woken up, while Harry and Draco followed Dumbledore to his office.

*******

“So, he hadn’t made a horcrux yet, when this memory was made?” Harry asked, confused, once they finished watching it. “But I thought the diary…”

“That is a good observation,” Dumbledore said. “Perhaps we were wrong about that… or perhaps he simply didn’t want Horace to know he knew quite so much about them already. However it played out, we now know how many he made: Tom was quite obsessed with power, and having his soul split into one of the most powerful numbers certainly would be appealing to him. This means we have quite a way to go.” His voice became somber on the last bit.

“Do you think an animal could be one?” Draco asked. “His snake isn’t exactly a normal snake; could that be why?”

“Yes, I believe that would suit him; it seems to be the only creature he has ever felt any form of affection for… which, Harry, as I said before, is one field which you have the advantage over: love, a magic he knows not…” He then began to speak about how in the face of so much adversary, Harry remained living and pure-hearted, free of darkness a brilliant feat...

“I’m sorry, sir, but I disagree there,” Harry said bluntly, once Dumbledore had finished. “Firstly, I have multiple types of magic he knows not, in addition to love: vampire magic and cosmic magic, although he’s been attempting to find the latter. And, I am certainly not pure-hearted and free of darkness: I’m a vampire, which is considered a dark creature, who shamelessly and guiltlessly hunts animals and drains them of blood-- which is technically completely unnecessary to do, as I could theoretically survive on the potion alone! I drink to excess, I do highly illegal drugs, I gamble, I am far from a virgin, I’ve used a ritual from the darkest book in existence, I regularly associate with cosmic entities that most humans would consider the darkest of dark beings, as well as have some of their powers... How is that remaining pure-hearted?”

Dumbledore looked quite awkward as Harry laid all that out. “Well, despite that, you’ve still been able to love, still been loyal and caring to your friends, still place full trust in others, and of course try your best not to harm sentient beings…” He insisted. “You may do some... unsavory things, but you yourself are not unsavory. Besides, no species as a whole is inherently dark; that is merely a fault within wizarding belief, as much incorrect as the belief that non-humans are inferior. Even these cosmic entities… they are beyond human comprehension, true, and often treat humans as ants, but that does not make them all inherently evil. In fact, it seems their treatment of humans is comparable to how many humans treat part- and non-humans… it is a logical flaw, not a flaw of the heart itself, and merely grows from a lack of understanding. This Nyarlathotep you’ve spoken of, from what you describe, seems to be quite fond of other creatures, and humanity, despite seeing them as playthings and pets… by far more affectionate than Voldemort, although he lives by his own rules and agenda. And Luna’s great-grandmother does seem to love her. Perhaps, Harry, you might end up being the one to bridge this chasm between humans, non-humans, and cosmic beings…”

Harry definitely did not agree with Dumbledore’s very hopeful view on Nyarlathotep-- he’d say the Outer God (a term he’d seen in a book, used for him and his father, Azathoth, and decidedly more appropriate, for the two were, in fact, beyond the Old Ones, despite their associations with them) saw humanity more as discardable toys, even holding them in some contempt due to how they treated magical beings such as vampires-- whom he considered his ‘children’ as he, allegedly, had had a hand in their creation many eons ago. However, Harry did not divulge this, figuring it’d be better for Dumbledore to have the more hopeful view. Maybe he could bridge the gap a little, though, at least in getting humans to change their views slightly, even though it could very well take centuries.

“But none of that can happen if I don’t defeat Voldemort,” Harry asserted.

“Which means we need to find the horcruxes and destroy them first and foremost,” Draco added. “So, the diary and ring are dead, the locket, cup, and snake are definitely ones, and the final one is unknown, but probably a Hogwarts Founder’s item” he confirmed. “I take it you’ve been searching for where the cup and locket are, and what that item is?”

“Yes, that is correct… I might be close to one, even,” Dumbledore informed them. He then answered some more questions the boys had, and happily agreed to let Harry come with him to retrieve the next one once he found it. He’d have preferred if Draco didn’t go, but that boy was always stubborn in his plight to protect Harry, so finally Dumbledore agreed to allow him to go too. “Well, now, it is dreadfully late,” He eventually concluded. “It would do best to get some sleep, particularly since there’s class tomorrow… ah. Forgive me; I momentarily forgot that you cannot. Well, have a pleasant night, then, and don’t get into too much trouble…”

 

*******

 

Harry caught Hermione and Ron up on the prior night’s events in Charms the next day. Both were in a very cheerful mood-- Ron had apparently broken up with Lavendar the previous night. Or, rather, she broke up with him, techncially, upon seeing him alone with Hermione again-- jealousy was a powerful thing, Harry noted vaguely, recalling how Ginny had also used it to manipulate Dean. However, Ron was clearly the benefactor of the break-up, as she looked miserable whereas he was radiating delight. Neville, of course, was also curious as to what had happened after Dumbledore had sent him away, and all three expressed jealousy at how Harry and Draco would get to help Dumbledore with the next Horcrux.

“Less talking, more working!” Flitwick told them, waddling over. “Class is nearly over, yet it seems like Miss Granger is the only one to have turned vinegar to wine… lets see what you three have to show me.”

Ron’s flask exploded. Neville’s turn to ice. Harry, who had been avoiding approaching the vinegar due to the scent, gagged when he got near it, right in the middle of saying the spell; this caused it to turn into acid, which melted through the flask, table, and even began to corrode the floor before it was stopped. Flitwick sent them off with instructions to practice for homework.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: A new spell is discovered! Then, Harry has flashbacks which lead to some very poor decisions and quite the episode.
> 
> The additional questions it mentioned they asked Dumbledore during the horcrux scene are essentially those in the book, about the prophecy's relation to it and stuff; I suggest reading that entire scene if you need a refresher on those, as it's a lot, but I didn't include them since nothing much would have changed except their reactions towards such (Harry's very angsty over it in the book, as usual, yet I see him as calmer here).


	19. Sectumsempra and the Battlements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during book chapter 24, "Sectumsempra." Most that chapter is null and void for purposes of this story, as the Harry-stalks-Malfoy dynamic isn't here nor is Draco a Death Eater here. So consider this as replacing that.
> 
> Strong warnings here for suicidal ideation in the second section. If such triggers you, I have a brief summary of that section in the end notes; nothing extremely significant plot-wise happens in this chapter, so don't worry if you need to skip it.

“Look at this,” Harry noted, showing Draco a scribble in the corner of his potions book while waiting for Snape to arrive for their occlumency lesson. “This spell says ‘for enemies’.”

“Right. Well, it would be unwise to use a spell from a book without knowing what it does; or have you forgotten the incident with the ritual?” Draco reasoned.

“True… but aren’t you curious? We could try it on a rabbit or something; it’s just a spell, probably not dark, as none of the other things in here have been so far.”

“I suppose we could try it out…”

Snape entered the room at that moment. “Try what out, might I ask?”

“Ah, well, there’s this spell here, says ‘for enemies,’ we thought maybe using a rabbit to test it…” Draco explained.

Snape came over and peered at the book, a look of utter surprise soon crossing his face. “That’s… where did you get this book?” He demanded.

“Well, I had to borrow a book at the start of the year, as a thestral stole mine…” Harry explained. “This had such useful tips though, that I kept it and put my new one with the spares instead.”

“A thestral stole your book.”

“Yeah; he smelled the blood potion in my bag, and then dug through to find it, breaking the vial in the process, which spilled onto my book, so it just took the book.”

“I see… well, this just happens to be my old book,” Snape admitted.

“You’re the Half-Blood Prince?” Harry asked in wonder.

“It was a silly childish nickname I gave myself. My mother’s last name was Prince, that is all it means.”

“Well, sir, if you were discovering all this as a student, I’d say it’s reasonable to say you were a Prince of Potions,” Draco said.

“Ah, yes, the signature Malfoy flattery. I expect you’re using such in hopes that I allow you keep that book?”

“Actually, Sir, I was being honest,” Draco muttered, annoyance in his voice.

“So, if this was your book, does it mean you’ve invented the spells in them, too?” Harry quickly redirected the topic.

“Some of them, yes. Others were merely notes about ones I’d overheard… that one there, though, is my own invention, and one I deeply regret making, as it has become a signature spell of the Dark Lord’s followers.”

“What does it do?” Harry whispered, paling. It’s a good thing they hadn’t tested it.

“I am… reluctant to let you know, for fear you’d use it in an unorthodox manner,” Snape replied warily.

“Hold on,” Draco muttered. “Sectum… sempra… this is the slashing spell they use, isn’t it?” He exclaimed in surprise. “You invented that? Wait… crap.”

“Slashing spell?” Harry enquired. “What, does it mimic a sword?”

Snape and Draco glanced at each other, a tacit agreement forming to divert the subject.

“So, Sir, if you created all those potion improvements, is that why you always wrote instructions on the board rather than using the book?” Draco asked.

“Yes.” Snape concurred. “Now, I will let you keep the book, but please promise to consult me before trying any other spells in it.”

 

*******

 

Draco dashed into the Gryffindor common room, looking around in panic. Seeing only confused stares from ones he did not know, he dashed into the boys dorm and up the staircase until he found the 6th-year room; no one was there. Draco swore, then ran over to Harry’s bed, tearing open his trunk and digging through it.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ron spat, running into the room and grabbing Draco’s wrist.

Draco turned and hissed. Ron’s eyes grew wide, and he backed off. Draco winced. “Sorry, instinctual.”

Ron regained his composure-- that is, the sudden spurt of fear was replaced by the anger from before. “Boyfriend or not, you have no right to dig through his things like that! And he obviously didn’t tell you to find something, since the Fat Lady is in tears after you practically tore her frame from the wall forcing your way through, meaning you didn’t have the password!” A couple of red sparks shot off of him. Wait. Draco blinked. Weird; Harry’s description of auras must be playing tricks on his mind.

“Quiet, I need to find that map he always used to use to spy on me.” Draco snapped, standing up. “You know where it is, don’t you?”

Ron crossed his arms and puffed his chest out, sneering. “And why would you need the map?”

“To find Harry!”

Ron looked at Draco curiously. “Why? Is he hiding from you or something?”

“I don’t know! Maybe! All I know is that I can’t find him anywhere! Dammit, I leave for one minute…”

Ron shrugged. “Well, if he wants to be left alone, isn’t it best to let him be? I’m sure he’ll appear again shortly.”

Draco looked panicked. “No! It is not best to leave him alone all! The complete opposite actually, with the state he was in!”

“State? What state?” Ron looked wary now; he’d never seen Draco act so rattled.

“Just, give me the map. Please.”

“What’s going on? I heard yelling!” Neville said, dashing into the room.

“Harry’s missing,” Draco told him.

“Missing?”

“Yes, missing! I can’t find him in any of the usual places! And Weas-- Ron, won’t let me use the map to find him!”

“Not until you tell me why it’s so urgent!” Ron insisted. “For all I know, you had a fight and he’s hiding.”

“We did not have a fight; if he’s hiding, it’s not for that reason,” Draco said stubbornly.

“Then what reason is it? What did you mean by ‘state he was in’?”

Neville looked pale. “Give him the map,” he commanded Ron.

Ron looked at Neville, confusion evident. “What? You’re siding with him? Do you know what he means?”

“Maybe. It’s not my place to say.”

“Well, I’m not letting you see the map unless I know it’s in his best interest!”

“Fine,” Draco snapped. “He’s currently drunk, high, and having panicked flashbacks. In other words, a complete danger to himself. Happy? Now give me the map.”

Ron obliged, but still looked confused. “A danger? But he’s a vampire; being drunk and high won’t kill him. And I thought he didn’t like people seeing him in a panic. He’s probably trying to get away from everyone so he can calm down,” Ron reasoned.

“It’s not being drunk and high that’ll the danger; it’s bleeding out.”

That only caused Ron even more confusion. “Bleeding out? He was injured? How?!”

“He isn’t yet, hopefully, and won’t be, if we can find him in time!”

“In time…? Is someone trying to hurt him?!”

Draco swore and threw the map down. “Useless map! I can’t find him anywhere!” He sat on the bed and put his head in his hands.

“Malfoy! Tell me, who’s trying to hurt--”

“No one’s trying to hurt him!” Neville snapped, causing Ron to shut his mouth in shock. “Draco, did you try the forest?”

“First place I thought to look… but Apollo was near the door, and said he hadn’t seen anyone but me leave the castle so far today.” Draco clutched the bracelet around his wrist, which was stinging slightly. “I need to find him fast, he’s hurting…”

“What about using his cloak?”

“It’s here.” Draco gestured to a pile of silver cloth in the trunk.

“Then he must be on the map somewhere.”

“Wait, can’t he apparate to that dream place?” Ron suggested.

Neville paled. “If he went there, in that sort of state…”

“He can’t. After Michigan’s disaster, Nyarlathotep modified the earring to prevent him from going there when not in a right state of mind, unless his life is in immediate danger.” Draco informed them.

“Then he must be on here,” Neville reasoned, picking up the map, scanning it. “Oh! I found--”

“Shit.” Draco grabbed his wrist as a sharp sting emanated from the bracelet, and bolted from the room, ignoring the speed at which he ran.

It took barely two minutes for Draco to begin ascending the steps of the Astronomy Tower. “Please be okay, please be okay…” he chanted in a whisper, as the bracelet continued stinging his wrist. It wasn’t nearly as bad as had been that time last year, and often stung when Harry was feeling bad, but still… He reached the top, heading outside to find Harry on the battlements, sitting sideways in a crenel and slouched against the adjoining merlon. It was actually a somewhat pretty sight, with the way the early morning light silhouetted him, except for one thing...

Harry was staring at his arm, which he held out, watching blood drip from it into an already fairly large pool. As it began to close, he flicked his wand, making another cut beside it. “Hey, Draco,” he slurred, as Draco lifted his wand away. “Pretty, isn’t it? Want to drink some?” He held his arm out, and swayed dangerously.

Draco’s eyes followed the blood. “N-No. Now, get off of there before you fall.”

“Hmm…” Harry looked down off the tower, again swaying dangerously, and Draco quickly clutched his arm. “Think if I fell from here, I could actually die?”

“No,” Draco told his boyfriend, gently grabbing Harry around the waist and guiding him off the battlement. “And you’re not going to test it, either.”

“Aww, you’re no fun,” Harry pouted, staggering backwards; Draco kept his arm on his waist to keep him steady. Harry held up his bloody wrist. “...want a drink?”

“No. Not when you’re like this.”

“Aww, come on, you know you want some.” Harry thrust his wrist towards Draco’s mouth, causing Draco to release Harry as he dodged away.

“I told you, no.”

“Hmm…. then I guess I’ll test that theory you had…” he began to stumble back towards the battlements.

“Theory? What theory… Harry, no!” Draco leapt forwards as Harry began to run, tackling him before he could reach the edge, slamming them into the hard stone floor.

“Owww, that hurt,” Harry complained, sitting up, trying to twist away from Draco, who held onto him resolutely. “Let go!”

“Not if you plan to run off the edge!” Draco stood, pulling Harry up, hand tightly clenched around Harry’s bicep.

“Okay, I won’t, now let go!” Harry yelled, trying to squirm away again, yet Draco’s hand held firm.

“I don’t believe you.” Draco turned to pull Harry towards the door.

“It’s not that big of a deal; like you said, it won’t actually kill me!”

Neville and Ron ran through the door. “What… are you… doing to him?” Ron asked in outrage, though it was damped by him gasping for air-- humans couldn’t run up stairs as easily as vampires, after all. 

Draco ignored that and merely continued to pull the still-struggling Harry towards the exit, only to find Ron blocking the way. “Move. I need to get him away from here.”

Ron’s eyes trained to the blood. “He’s hurt! What did you do to him, Malfoy?! Did you attack him, try to get his blood?”

“No,” Harry pouted. “I offered, but he said no. It’s not fair.”

“It’s not… what are you going on about, Harry?”

“Ignore him,” Draco told the redhead. “He’s not thinking straight. We need to get him somewhere safe.”

“Ron, I think you should let them pass,” Neville suggested.

“What, so he can hurt Harry further?!” Ron retorted.

“I didn’t hurt Harry!” Draco insisted.

“Then why is he bleeding, and struggling to get away from you?!”

“Because I stopped him from jumping off the damn tower! Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to take him away from said tower so he doesn’t try that again!”

Ron was quiet, processing what Draco was telling him. “Then what’s with the blood?”

“He did it to himself. Now, move.”

“Did it to himself?” Ron asked, with a stunned expression. “Why would--”

“Because he’s not thinking straight… aurgh!” Draco yelled as Harry bit down on his arm and twisted away, running back towards the battlements. Draco followed, but Harry had too much of a head start… then, Harry tripped. Draco pulled him up and held his wrists behind him, pushing him towards the door.

“It’s not fair!” Harry whined, struggling to escape again. “Why won’t you let me? You said it yourself; I probably won’t actually die!”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to take the chance,” Draco said resolutely. “Neville, help me get him to Snape; You too, Ron, unless you still somehow think I’m the one doing more damage.”

“Why Snape?” Ron, white as a sheet, asked as he moved to oblige, in return receiving a kick in the gut from a struggling Harry, sending him flying. “Ugh… I don’t think this is going to work…” Ron huffed, standing up. “Can’t we just stun him or something?”

“That won’t work on a vampire!” Harry stuck his tongue out, and Ron gave him a glare in return.

“Harry, if you don’t stop struggling, I’m withholding sex for a month!” Draco threatened.

“What!” Harry squeaked. “You wouldn’t!”

“Oh, I would! Now, move!” Draco led a now-compliant Harry down the steps, hand clenched around Harry’s bicep again, with Neville and Ron following.

A couple times along the way, Harry tried escaping, but Draco only had to remind him of the threat to get him to comply again. It was extremely lucky no one found them on their way; it was their morning free period, but there were many other classes still going on, and they weren’t exactly quiet. Finally, they reached Snape’s Defense classroom.

“Again, why here?” Ron asked in a whisper. “Wouldn’t Madam Pomfrey be better?”

Harry started struggling again. “No, don’t take me to her! She’ll have them lock me up!”

“Shh, we’re not going to, it’s okay, Harry,” Draco assured his boyfriend, then turned to Ron. “That’s why.”

“But why would she…?”

“She probably wouldn’t, but he thinks she will, if she discovers something like this happened again.”

“Again? Wait, this happened before?! When--”

“What is with all this racket outside my classroom?” Snape’s icy voice sounded, as the door opened. 

“Ah, Professor!” Draco replied. “It’s Harry, he’s, er, well, not exactly in a right state of mind…”

“Yes, I can see that.” Snape raised an eyebrow. “I’m in the middle of teaching a class. If you need more calming draughts, you can go to Madam Pomfrey.”

“It’s not that, it, well--”

“I am not seeing Madam Pomfrey!” Harry insisted, struggling away and dashing-- rather, quickly stumbling-- down the hallway.

Snape stepped out into the hallway. “Incarcerous!” He called-- ropes shot from his wand, wrapping around Harry to bind and gag him. Draco caught up to Harry and grabbed him tightly before Harry could break free; that spell couldn’t hold a vampire for long.

“He needs more than a calming draught,” Draco explained. “You were working on sobering potion alternatives that don’t use squill, right?”

Snape took a moment to decide. “Fine. Head to my quarters. Weasley, Longbottom, you’re in charge of my class-- they’re first-years learning expelliarmus; I already explained what it is, so now they just need to try it themselves, shouldn’t be difficult. If I’m not back in time for your class, tell them to practice nonverbal spells.” Snape turned to follow Harry and Draco, leaving a confused Neville and Ron in his wake.

“What is going on?” Snape asked Draco, once in his quarters. “What is so bad that you can’t see Madam Pomfrey for? She knows about the same things I do.”

“You have to ask Harry that; whenever I suggested going there, he freaked out. He was having flashbacks of something, downed a full bottle of firewhiskey and a variety of different potions, ran away, cut his wrist, and then tried jumping from the astronomy tower. Er. That made it sound worse than it was; the cut wasn’t enough to damage him too much, and the near-jump he would have survived-- apparently he wanted to ‘test that theory’ or something, not sure of the whole thought process there.”

Snape sighed. “I see. Harry, why-- where’s Harry?”

“No. No way.” Draco looked around the room. “My eyes were off him for ten seconds! Where the hell did he go?!”

“Mrrrow.” Mrs. Norris strolled over with a struggling black kitten dangling from her mouth, plopping him down at Draco’s feet, who picked him up and cuddled him, which calmed the kitten.

“Draco.” Snape’s voice was serious. “He really does need help. Outside help. This behavior cannot keep being ignored.”

“It’s not being ignored! I can calm him, and if he starts drinking too much I cut him off, usually.”

“You shouldn’t need to be the one responsible for that.”

Draco sighed. “I know. But it’s not that bad, really! Things this extreme only happen on occasion. Usually he doesn’t have much more than anyone else is having.”

“That also concerns me; from the sound of it, you and your friends are ALL imbibing much too much and much too frequently. You shouldn’t even have any at Hogwarts to begin with!”

Draco looked away. “Okay, fine, we’ll all cut down,” he mumbled.

“No. You’ll sustain entirely from its usage on Hogwarts property unless with a staff member. And that means both alcohol and illegal potions.”

Draco paled. So, Snape had seen that memory, after all. “Yes, sir.”

Harry wiggled out of Draco’s arms and turned back into his humanoid form, stumbling a little. “Why?” He asked.

“Oh, so you were paying attention,” Snape noted. “Then I don’t need to repeat myself.”

Harry sneered in a manner that could only be described as… creepy. Draco shivered involuntarily; it reminded him a bit too much of the being whose collar adorned Harry’s neck. “You really think you can get us to stop, don’t you?” Harry’s voice carried a lilt as though speaking to a child.

Snape frowned, also visibly disconcerted. “Yes, that was the hope…”

“Or, what, you’ll go crying to Dumbledore?”

“If necessary.”

“You won’t.”

“I have before,” Snape pointed out. “The cat incident, remember?”

“Let me clarify: I won’t let you.”

Snape raised an eyebrow. “Is that a treat?”

Harry blinked in confusion, his previously confident demeanor completely gone. “Is what a threat?” He looked around. “Why am I here?”

Snape began to reply, but then Draco interrupted. “Harry, what do you last remember?”

“Er… I was in the lounge, I think? Wait, I think I do recall leaving it… but why would I come here?”

Snape stared at Harry in utter disbelief. Harry’s wide eyes met his, and with a flick of legilimency Snape confirmed Harry honestly had no clue what had just transpired; he also somehow seemed entirely sober. “Has this kind of memory loss happened before?”

“Just when you made those aurors in Michigan sleep, right?” Draco asked Harry. “But that was only an instant…”

“I think so? But, how can I know for sure? I only know of that because you were there to notice...”

“Wait a second. There’s something glowing through your robes.”

Harry lifted the amulet out. It was indeed glowing, though faded quickly.

“That happened in Michigan too,” Draco noted.

“Nyarlathotep says this can help channel and amplify my magic…”

“Where did you get that?” Snape demanded.

“The Dreamlands. In a temple. We had to avoid traps and whatnot to find it.”

“Can you remove it for me?”

Harry clutched the amulet, hissed, and backed away.

“I think that’s a no,” Draco said dryly. “He did similar when we first got it, and Lupin asked to check it.”

“I see… and it amplifies your magic?”

Harry shrugged. “I guess? I haven’t noticed it do much though. Nyarlathotep said it also can protect me, if that helps.”

“Protect… I wonder if that’s how you got sober so suddenly, and why you’ve forgotten…” Snape mused.

“Sober?” Harry asked. “I wasn’t sober? And what have I forgotten that it would need to protect me from?”

“Look at your wrist,” Draco instructed gently.

Harry’s eyes widened as he stared at the dried blood on his wrist. “Shit. I honestly thought I’d beaten that habit… wait. If I’ve done this and not remembered, what else have I done? Have I been doing this often, just forgotten? How do I know what’s real and what’s not? And I’m being such a burden on you! Why do you even deal with me?”

Draco put his hands on Harry’s shoulder and looked him in the eyes. Well, tried to. “Harry. Look at me.” Finally, Harry turned his eyes to Draco’s. They looked completely panicked, the beginnings of tears in the corners. “You do not do this often, I promise. You usually have someone with you, and usually stay in control. Today’s episode was the exception; you’ve been doing extremely well otherwise. But that’s understandable; no one expects you to stop immediately. There will be slip-ups. That’s okay. You are not a burden; I don’t merely ‘deal with you’, I do my best to help you, because I love you. I’ll always be here for you, because I want to be. Yes, it can be stressful at times, I don’t deny it, but you are worth it to me. Understand?”

Harry nodded meekly, visibly calmer. “Yes. Thank you,” he whispered.

“Good.” Draco smiled and pulled Harry into a hug, which Harry returned, his silent tears falling onto Draco’s shoulder. 

“I don’t deserve you,” Harry muttered into Draco’s shoulder.

“Yes, you do,” Draco insisted. “You deserve whomever you want.”

“I only want you.”

“Good; I only want you, too.”

Snape gave them a few moments more before continuing the prior conversation: “Harry. You need help from a mind-healer.”

“I talk to Madam Pomfrey!” Harry protested.

“Seeing Madam Pomfrey clearly is not helping enough. You need to see a professional.”

“But, I’m managing fine! Yes, there’s the occasional incident, but it’s not like I’m wandering the halls talking to myself or anything!”

“It is more than occasional. You’re suffering, Harry-- a mind healer can help with that.”

“And, what, load me up with potions? That’s the only thing they can do that Madam Pomfrey doesn’t. I already use calming draughts. That’s plenty.”

Snape sighed. “I see there’s no convincing you. Regardless, I will still need to notify Dumbledore of this--”

“No! He’ll force me to go!”

“I’m sorry, but I am obligated to report an incident such as this--”

Draco interjected this time. “You will not report it.” He put a little force behind the words, and they felt strange to him. 

Snape-- and Harry-- glanced curiously at Draco. “Yes, actually, I will. Draco, how did you…”

“You will forget about this incident,” Harry commanded of Snape.

Snape blinked a few times, then looked around with slight confusion. Harry grabbed Draco by the wrist and pulled them out of the room and down the hallway.

“How did you do that?” Harry demanded of Draco.

“Do what?”

“You made a command. The kind I’ve made, with force behind it. I felt the power of it. I think Snape did too. That confusion was why my command stuck, I think-- caught him off guard.”

Draco looked at Harry in disbelief. “I… I guess I did. I wasn’t even thinking when I did, it felt odd… But there’s no way! I don’t have that kind of magic.”

“Hmm… try giving me a command, then. Like, ‘jump’. I’ll be able to tell if it has the power behind it.”

“Okay… jump.”

“No, you need to put force behind it! Be commanding. Speaking like a wet noodle will do squat.”

“Okay, fine.” Draco steeled himself, trying to put force behind the words. “JUMP!”

Harry sighed. “That was just shouting… I guess earlier must have just been some fluke.”

“Yeah… okay, let’s get our books and go to class, then. We have Defense in a few minutes, and Snape apparently has no recollection of us not being able to attend.”

Harry looked confusedly at Draco. “We have it soon? Did he cancel his last class, then?”

“What? No, he-- shit.” Draco began running down the hall towards the classroom.

“Draco? What’s going on?” Harry asked, following.

“Snape left Ron and Neville in charge of the first years, yet now has no recollection of it!”

Harry’s eyes grew wide. “Shit.”

The two ran to the Defense classroom and burst through the door. Draco glanced around in slight confusion; there were way too few people there for a first-year class. “Where’s all the students? And Ron?”

“Well, that’s--” Neville began.

“I accidentally made Snape forget that he left you in charge and he is on his way here,” Harry briskly divulged, looking slightly panicked.

“You… what?” Neville asked, confused. “Hold on, you’re sober?” He peered curiously at Harry. “But not even a half hour ago you were--”

“Long story, tell you later.” Draco grabbed Neville by the wrist and pulled him out the door.

“But, we can’t just leave the kids alone!” Neville complained.

“Fine.” Draco poked his head back into the room. “CLASS DISMISSED!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary of second part: Draco's POV. He can't find Harry, and is worried since Harry had some bad flashbacks before vanishing, so breaks into Gryffindor dorm to find the map-- he must be in Hogwarts, as the earring was adjusted to prevent apparition when not in a good mindstate. Ron comes in and gives him a tough time, though is baffled at Draco's uncloaked panic. Neville comes in and catches onto the situation, getting Ron to give up the map. Draco's bracelet stings, but not as bad as the forest incident, and he runs up to the Astronomy Tower to find a very drunk and high Harry, who is sitting on the battlements and cutting himself with sectumsempra, though not enough for lasting damage. Draco takes Harry's wand. Harry offers Draco the blood to drink; Draco is tempted, but says no. Harry wonders if falling off the tower would kill him. Draco says it won't, and tries to bring Harry back inside. Harry decides he wants to test Draco's theory, but Draco stops him. Ron and Neville arrive. Ron sees the blood and thinks Draco hurt Harry, and takes a bit to understand Harry did it himself. The three of them take Harry to Snape, as Harry vehemently denies going to Madam Pomfrey since he thinks she'll lock him up. Plus, Snape has been working on sobering potions that will work on Harry. Snape is teaching a first-year class, and leaves them to Neville and Ron while he brings Draco and Harry to his office. He says they both need to stop using alcohol and drugs, and that Harry needs to see a mind healer. Harry argues, then suddenly his personality becomes dark for a bit while arguing with Snape, after which Harry completely forgets the entire incident and is sober-- the amulet glows, leading them to decide that the amulet erased the memories and made him sober in an attempt to protect him. Harry panics a little, Draco calms him. Snape then begins to talk again how Harry needs to see a mind healer other than Madam Pomfrey, and that he needs to tell Dumbledore of this. Draco somehow tells Snape not to using the force Harry uses to command; it doesn't take, but allows Harry's command to Snape to forget the whole incident to take. The two then run, heading back to the classroom as they remember Neville and Ron are there and Snape doesn't recall leaving them in charge. Get there and half the class is gone along with Ron. Hastily pull a confused Neville out of the room before Snape gets back.
> 
>  
> 
> Next time: Nyarlathotep's Garden, a quidditch match with Luna's commentary, and the search for a horcrux!
> 
>  
> 
> If you want to know why Ron wasn't in the classroom, I have written a companion ficlet (it's about 1300 words) about Ron and Neville teaching, so go check it out!


	20. The Garden and the Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Beyond that wall, whose ancient masonry  
> Reached almost to the sky in moss-thick towers,  
> There would be terraced gardens, rich with flowers,  
> And flutter of bird and butterfly and bee.  
> There would be walks, and bridges arching over  
> Warm lotos-pools reflecting temple eaves,  
> And cherry-trees with delicate boughs and leaves  
> Against a pink sky where the herons hover.
> 
> All would be there, for had not old dreams flung  
> Open the gate to that stone-lanterned maze  
> Where drowsy streams spin out their winding ways,  
> Trailed by green vines from bending branches hung?  
> I hurried—but when the wall rose, grim and great,  
> I found there was no longer any gate."
> 
> \--H.P. Lovecraft, "Fungii From Yuggoth, XVIII: The Gardens of Yin"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during the end of book chapter 24, "Sectumsempra," chapter 25, "The Seer Overheard," and chapter 26, "The Cave."

“I swear, Harry, if we miss another quidditch game because of this…”

“Hey, it’s my quidditch game that’s tomorrow, not yours,” Harry pointed out. “If Gryffindor does poorly because I’m not there, it benefits Slytherin.”

“True, but I’d rather lose against real competition rather than grab an easy win.”

“Ginny’s a good seeker.”

“But nothing compared to you,” Draco affectionately rustled Harry’s hair a bit. “You’re the one that makes it such a great team. Especially with how much you’ve been driving your team to practice this past week, with Katie’s return and all.”

“I- I suppose.” Harry’s face flushed red at the compliment. It was true-- the team had seemed to fly better than ever, now that Ginny and Dean were on great terms again and Katie had returned. Even the beaters had been showing significant improvement. Perhaps next year, they’d be as good a team as they had under Wood, as the entire team would be retained-- Katie would be repeating the year, as she’d missed more than half of it.

First, though, they had to find a way to return home; Harry’s apparition into the Dreamlands had backfired again. They strolled through what seemed to be a cross between a sahara, marshland, and meadow; something decidedly not possible on Earth, but apparently perfectly viable here. Every so often there would be a tree or two, all of random variety-- sometimes even to the extreme of having evergreens next to palm trees-- and miscellaneous bushes. Earlier, Harry had tripped into a thorn bush, falling fully into it, which had not been fun-- removing all the thorns had taken over an hour, especially as some had found their way into very uncomfortable places, and he still occasionally found one stuck on him.

“Hey, there’s something up ahead,” Harry noted. It appeared to be an excessively tall wall with windowless moss-covered turreted towers dotting it, perhaps circling around something. They strolled up to it, yet saw no gate, so began circling it in an attempt to find one.

“It’s been an hour, yet we’re only a tenth of the way around this thing, if that!” Draco marvelled, after a bit.

“No, I don’t think it’s been that long… hey, it looks like there’s a plaque up ahead.” Indeed there was. “Gardens of Yin,” Harry translated the runes. “But, there’s no gate or door or anything…” He rested his hand on the wall.

“Harry-- the rune on the collar is glowing… hey, it matches one on the wall here!” Draco observed. “Here, press your hand to it.” Harry did so.

A priorly nonexistent gap in the wall appeared, reaching to the top, widening to let the two pass through, then closed abruptly. They turned around, only to find that the wall was again completely solid; there was seemingly no possible way to leave the garden, at least not from there. 

Harry sighed. “I suppose we have to keep moving forwards… I feel like trying to find an exit to the Dreamlands only ever gets us in deeper trouble.”

The vampires were in what appeared to be an endless tiered garden-- the most fascinating and beautiful garden anyone had ever seen. They wandered through, marvelling at the seas of flowers, trotting over bridges arching over babbling streams and pools, past various shrines and temples dedicated to any number of unknown deities, cherry blossoms in full bloom, orchards full of every fruit imaginable, carefully cut topiaries… and the animals! The garden buzzed with life: birds of every variety; butterflies, bees, and other insects of all types; squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks of various breeds... feeders and homes for all of them were carefully placed around the gardens. A heron passed by overhead, under the pink-clouded sky. 

Soon, they came upon what seemed to be a palace, decked in all sorts of strange colours. Directly in front of them an arched tunnel loomed; it felt vaguely foreboding, yet the boys followed it, discovering it led to a small center courtyard… 

“Oh, fuck.”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Never heard you say that before.”

“Welcome back, my child!” rang a familiar voice, which seemed both quiet yet loud. “Have you come to play with me again, my pet?”

“This is… Nyarlathotep’s garden,” Harry muttered dismally.

Draco’s eyes widened. “Ah. I agree, then: oh, fuck.”

Harry suddenly yelped; a leash had appeared attached to his collar, and Nyarlathotep, in the form of the tentacled shadow person, had given it a tug, forcing Harry to stumble towards him. He laced a tentacle around Harry's waist...

“Hey! What are you doing to him!” Draco called, trying to grab Harry away.

“Oh? Would you like to be my pet, too?” Nyarlathotep asked mischievously. “Very well, then…” A collar and leash also appeared on the protesting Draco, and Nyarlathotep pulled the two into his palace.

 

*******

 

Draco and Harry were unceremoniously deposited next to the quidditch stadium.

“Great, now I have a collar, too,” Draco muttered, feeling his neck. “What color is it?”

“Ice blue. Matches your eyes, like mine matches mine,” Harry informed his boyfriend grumpily. “And it too has a red heart with a rune.”

Draco sighed. “Of course it does… hey, I hear people in the stadium!”

The two ran inside, finding the Gryffindor team.

“Where the bloody hell have you been? It’s just a few hours until the match!” Ginny called. “I swear, if you were snogging Draco all morning…”

“What? No! Er. Actually, technically… but not because… argh. We got caught in the Dreamlands again, and ran into Nyarlathotep, and that’s all the information you’re getting!” Harry’s face resembled a cherry.

“Nyarlathotep?” Ron asked. “That shape-shifting god thing? …hey, wait a second, you have a collar too, now!” He indicated Draco’s neck.

Draco also blushed, though tried his best to avoid such. “Yes. I, too, have been ‘gifted’ it by Nyarlathotep. No, it won’t come off, either.”

“You never did tell me what it means,” Ron pointed out.

Harry’s face somehow grew even redder. “It’s nothing! Just a joke, he put it there as a joke, nothing to worry about… come on, let’s get to practicing, we have a game soon; if we win this by enough, we might be able to score the cup…”

Practice went really well, and soon they were up in the air, facing against Ravenclaw in their final match of the season.

However, it was extremely difficult to focus with Luna doing the commentary. Who had let her do so again? Hadn’t they learned their lesson from the last time she commentated? Did they have no one else volunteer? Harry nearly fell off his broom when Luna announced “It appears as though Harry has a fair number of liebghras circling him this morning. He must have had some exceptional intercourse recently.” Ginny then fumbled the quaffle very badly, and Ron missed the subsequent attempt on the goal by the Ravenclaw chaser, once Luna followed up with “Oh, and all three of the Gryffindor chasers have them, too... Ginny and Dean must have made up; don’t they make a lovely couple? None of the Ravenclaw team does though... Come to think of it, Gryffindors tend to have more of them than the other houses… oh, except Slytherin, of course, they--” A slightly pink-faced McGonagall removed the microphone from Luna’s grasp, handing it to Draco, who did a much more wholesome commentary that focused specifically on the match, which Gryffindor ultimately won.

“So, Harry, Draco,” Blaise said, as he and Draco joined Harry and Ron as they headed back to the castle afterwards, a sly grin upon his face, “I hear you two had some fun this morning?”

“Once again, Blaise, we are not talking about our sex life with you!” Draco scowled.

“Luna wasn’t serious about that, though, was she, Harry?” Ron asked. “I mean, you were with that god thing, right? Besides, she said Ginny did, too! She’s mental.”

“Can you believe Luna’s commentary?” Hermione huffed, joining the group with Neville. “I mean, I know she can see auras, but to that extent? Does she know everytime people have sex? And to blatantly blurt it out like that! She should know that people’s sex lives are not something to just casually talk about!”

“Luna has no filter when it comes to that type of thing,” Harry stated bluntly. “She comments on it every single time she sees that aura around us, no matter who else is nearby!”

“Yep. I witnessed that firsthand,” Neville confirmed. “Blaise and I were there the first time she mentioned to Draco and Harry that she could tell that.”

“Ron? Are you okay?” Harry asked, for Ron had stopped walking, seemingly frozen in place.

“Luna was serious?” Ron said faintly, face pale. “So… so that means…” His face became red and features morphed into an angry scowl. “I’m gonna KILL that bastard!” He growled, racing off.

“Ron, NO!” Hermione called, chasing after him.

 

*******

 

“Hey, Harry!” Hermione flagged him one day, before he could leave the common room. “Look, I think I’ve figured something out…” She shoved an old Daily Prophet article at him, pointing to something about an Eileen Prince, who had been in the gobstones club. Hermione’s theory was that she could be the Half-Blood Prince.

“That must be Snape’s mom,” Harry mused.

“What? Snape’s mom?”

“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you: I already found out the Prince’s identity; it’s Snape.”

“Snape!?”

“Yeah, he overheard Draco and I looking at it a few weeks ago.”

“And he let you keep the book?”

“Yeah. Apparently the instructions he’d write on the board all those years were his modified versions; who knew?”

Hermione looked like she might have a heart attack.

“Hey, where’s Ron, by the way?” Harry asked. “Usually he’s around here at this hour.”

“Detention, remember? He, Ginny, and Dean have it together every evening this week after that row they had over Dean and Ginny shagging,” Hermione reminded him; it had been a very violent row, resulting in black eyes and and involving a very aggressive bat bogey hex.

 

*******

 

_“So high, so high / I’ve climbed the mountains of the sky / Without my wings you know I’d surely die / I’ve found my--”_

CRACK

“Merrrrrrow!” Selardi yowled, dashing away.

Harry and Draco leapt up violently, headphones falling out of their ears. They had been lying near the lake in an outcropping of trees, listening to music while lazily watching the giant squid juggle pumpkins-- it could do twelve at once now, apparently. 

“Dobby is sorry for frightening you, sirs,” the house-elf apologized. “But Dumbledore would like to see you, and could not find you anywhere. Forgive Dobby for saying so, but you should not be out of the castle so late in the evening.”

“Er. Well, it’s a nice night, and we had wanted to hunt a bit…” Harry gestured to the very bloody remains of some bats and a badger below a nearby tree.

“Why does Dumbledore want to see us so late?” Draco asked.

“Dobby is sorry, but Dobby does not know.”

“That’s okay, Dobby; tell him we’ll be right there,” Harry instructed.

“Yes, Harry Potter, Sir!” Dobby vanished with another CRACK.

“I wonder what he wants?” Draco pondered, as they headed back to the castle. “Think he found a horcrux?”

“He must have; why else would he call us there so urgently?”

“Well, not to be a downer, but there’s plenty of not-so-pleasant reasons he could call us there…”

On the way to Dumbledore’s office, they had a run-in with a very unhappy Trelawney-- apparently, she had been booted from the Room of Requirement by someone while trying to hide empty sherry bottles, after asking who was there when she heard someone whooping excitedly. She seemed quite haggard, and no doubt a little drunk-- well, very drunk. She them began saying something about the cards repeatedly saying something about calamity…

Harry had an odd foreboding feeling about that. “Professor, could you tell me more about what the cards are showing?”

Trelawney looked very surprised by this. “O-oh, yes, o-of course, well, you see…” she pulled a card from her shawl and began waving it around. “The lightning-struck tower! A sure sign of calamity and destruction, drawing nearer! No matter what, it keeps being drawn! Something very, very, very bad is coming, and soon! Yet Dumbledore refuses to believe it…” She had a very strange aura around her: in addition to some black fog, which Harry sadly realized must be some type of depression, there were little dots of… that surely couldn’t be the space colours, could it be? Harry’s amulet throbbed a little.

“I believe you,” Harry told her, garnering an odd look from Draco. “I’m not sure how, or why, but I have a strange feeling about that, too. Some type of cosmic danger approaches.” Did it have to do with tonight? Was something going to happen when they found the Horcrux?

“How do you know that?” asked Draco.

“I don’t know. Just a feeling… I think it has to do with my cosmic magic… and her aura has some dots of space colours, too… I think there’s stock in what she’s saying.”

“Well, if there is, we better let Dumbledore know!” Draco exclaimed. “Professor, do you want to go with us, warn him again?”

“Oh, no, no, he won’t listen to me…”

Harry and Draco shrugged at each other and hurried off to Dumbledore’s office.

“Ah, hello, boys,” Dumbledore greeted. “Now--”

“There’s danger coming,” Harry interrupted without preamble.

“Oh? And what makes you say that?”

“We met Trelawney on the way, and she said--”

“Ah, yes, she has come to me about that multiple times. Not to worry; it is nothing unlike what she usually claims…”

“But it is,” Harry insisted. “It’s not a singular prediction; she’s been drawing the same card over and over. There’s some stock in it, I know it! And I can feel it too; something big is coming.”

“Yes, well, something always is, is it not? I will keep your warning in mind… anyway, as to the reason I have called you here…”

“You’ve found one, correct?” Draco asked, intercepting before Harry could get into a shouting match with the elder wizard. “A horcrux.”

“Yes, I believe I have, and I promised you could both go with me…”

Dumbledore made them promise to follow anything he said, then explained the situation: he had determined the location of the cave where the child Riddle had harmed the fellow orphanage children, and was fairly convinced that was where Voldemort had hidden one, though he was not sure which specifically; they would leave the castle in secret, the two boys under the cloak while Dumbledore pretended to go have a drink; and then they would apparate there.

“Sir, why must we pretend you’re getting a drink?” Harry asked.

“Why, so no one knows we’ll be so away from the castle.”

“But if we apparate, they won’t know how far you are, either. Besides, you don’t usually try hiding when you go.”

“Well, those inside may know I’ve stepped out, but if someone outside sees me leave so late for who-knows-where, suspicions might arise, in which case things may get tricky.”

“Things are always tricky, regardless,” Harry muttered.

“Why can’t we use Fawkes?” Draco wondered. “Can’t he transport us from here?”

“Fawkes cannot carry more than one.”

“I can do that too, and carry you both,” Harry avered.

Dumbledore looked surprised. “Harry, apparition is normally blocked within Hogwarts. Are you certain?”

“I can jump to a different world from here; pretty sure regular apparition will work too. We can go to Hogsmeade from here, then you can guide us where you want.”

“Or you can try going directly there,” Draco offered. He turned to Dumbledore. “Snape’s been trying to teach us some legilimency… surely if you imagine the place to go, Harry can see it, and then we can go?”

“I suppose it’s worth a shot…” Dumbledore muttered. “Okay, I have it imagined…”

Harry pointed his wand at Dumbledore. “Legilimens.” A flash of an outcropping of rock on a seaside cliff of dark rocks… “Okay. I think… I think I can get us there,” Harry declared confidently, grabbing the two and spinning.

“We made it!” Draco cheered, as they landed on the rocky outcrop, with the sea splashing droplets of water against the cliff face onto them. “Harry? Harry!”

Harry answered with a moan; he was on his knees, clutching his chest. Draco knelt beside him.

“Oh dear. Harry, my boy, what’s wrong?” Dumbledore asked.

“Dizzy… and my chest burns… I don’t think… that was a good idea…” he panted. The amulet felt very warm, as well.

“Your heart sounds likes its in overdrive,” Draco said with concern. “Hey, the earring’s glowing…”

Harry’s heart began to slow, regaining a more normal pace, and his chest stopped hurting. The amulet cooled down, too. “I think I’m better now…”

“Are you sure?” Draco asked.

“I think it’s safe to say that you won’t be the one to take us back,” Dumbledore stated. “That was foolish, I shouldn’t have allowed it; you’ve never tried such before, especially with two people tagging along…”

“No, I’m the one who insisted I could,” Harry reassured him. “Anyway, let’s go; this sea-mist is getting annoying.”

“Well, unfortunately, it will become even moreso; we must scale down the cliff.”

“Seriously?” Draco groaned. “Let me guess: swimming will be next?”

“You are correct.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled with amusement at Draco’s expression. “Now, stay close by me, I’ll light my wand…”

“No need, we can see fine,” Harry reminded him. “Down there, right?” He gestured towards a series of narrow ledges leading slowly downwards. When Dumbledore nodded in confirmation, Harry and Draco began hopping down the cliffside with ease until they could go no further. It took Dumbledore quite a bit longer to do so, but eventually he got there too.

“Now, we swim,” the Headmaster told them, gesturing to a fissure in the rock ahead. “Be careful; the water is quite treacherous.”

“We won’t drown,” Draco reminded him. “No need to breathe, remember? We were under Lake Michigan for hours, yet emerged fine.”

“Ah, yes, that too slipped my mind…”

Eventually, they all emerged into a large cave, rife with enchantments.

“So much magic,” Harry awed. “And… there’s a doorway there.” Harry gestured towards a seemingly blank expanse of wall. “I can feel it.”

Dumbledore walked towards the wall and cast a spell, causing a white outline of a doorway to appear, though it did not open.

“It needs blood,” Harry stated bluntly. “But maybe I can draw out the magic, or convince it its had blood already--”

“No need to strain yourself.” Dumbledore smiled, his blood spurting against the wall from a slit he made on his wrist, so it opened. He began to walk through the resulting archway, then noticed Harry and Draco had not followed. “Well? Are you boys coming?” He turned, then looked confused, as the two were on the other side of the cave, pressed against the wall. “Is something wrong?”

“Of course something’s wrong!” Draco called. “You slit your wrist without warning while next to two vampires! You could get killed that way!”

“Ah. Yes, that would be a problem. But you two can control yourselves, I am confident,” Dumbledore insisted, while healing the wound and then scourigrifing any remaining blood. Once he had, the two vampires followed him into the main room of the cave.

Harry gasped. “There are bodies in the water!” He examined, examining the large lake within the humongous chamber. The entire area seemed to be a kilometer across, if he estimated correctly. In the center lay a small island, with a glowing pensieve-like object on a pedestal.

“Are there? Well, if you can see that well enough in this nearly lightless cavern, I assume you can see what glows in the center of the lake?” Dumbledore reasoned.

“Yes,” Draco answered. “It’s a small island; there’s a pedestal upon it, with a pensieve-like object on top. I assume the horcrux is within it.”

“Yes, that sounds about right… now, how to get there…”

“Don’t suppose we could apparate?” Harry suggested.

“Could we freeze the water? Walk over it?” Draco offered.

“Or merely summon it,” Harry tried.

“We may certainly try all of those things,” Dumbledore reasoned. “Though I doubt they would do much good…” 

They tried all those things; none worked-- except Harry’s apparition, though it made him feel very dizzy, as there had apparently been anti-apparition jinxes there similar to the ones on Hogwarts. It didn’t hurt his chest this time though. He sat on the ground, closing his eyes with hands on his head, trying to get his bearings; he heard Draco call to him from across the cave. “Just a little dizzy,” Harry called in response, though rather quietly. Thankfully, Draco could hear him fine despite that. 

“Dumbledore recons there’s a way to get over there, a boat or something, can you feel any magic hinting that?” Draco asked.

Harry paused, trying to feel what was around him. “There’s too much magic; I can’t feel anything distinct.”

Harry waited there while Dumbledore and Draco slowly circled the cavern upon the narrow ledge surrounding the lake. Eventually, Dumbledore happened upon an invisible boat, and the two glided over on that while Harry studied the basin. A phosphorescent emerald potion lay within, a sinister magic to it. He couldn’t get near it… he meditated upon it, trying to figure out the nature of it… Oh. Oh, wow. This wouldn’t be good, for any of them. 

“Harry?” Dumbledore asked from beside him. “Have you figured anything out about this?”

“Er. Well, it seems it needs to be drunk; that’s the only way to remove it.”

“What? You can’t be serious!” Draco proclaimed.

“It is as with the blood at the beginning,” Dumbledore concluded. “Meant to weaken the one who infiltrates here. Not kill though; merely weaken. This way, he could capture and interrogate that person, find out how they came to know his deepest secret and the location of this place… I will be the one to drink it.”

“Can’t we take turns?” Draco asked. “What will it do, anyway?”

“Memories,” Harry whispered, still staring at it. “It makes you relive your worst memories. The blood was to weaken physically, and this is to weaken mentally.”

“How do you know this, Harry?” Dumbledore asked.

Harry shook his head slowly. “I’m not entirely sure… but it’s almost as if I can read the magic. Perhaps I can draw it out…?”

“No. Last time you did that, you ended up in the hospital wing for days!” Draco scolded him. “I’ll drink it. My bad memories are not nearly as bad as yours.”

“That’s not true. You were forced into becoming a vampire by Voldemort himself. And then you were at the Ministry, too, that was pretty bad… And of course, there was the canal...”

“You have those last two as well. Plus the graveyard, and Chamber of Secrets, and your relatives, and numerous other things.”

“Boys. I will be the one to drink,” Dumbledore insisted.

“We take turns, then,” Harry decided.

“No, one must be there to make sure the one drinking, drinks,” Dumbledore reasoned.

“That will be Harry, and we will take turns drinking,” Draco asserted. “That way, neither of us will relive them to the extreme we would if drinking the entire thing.”

Dumbledore acquiesced to this, and he and Draco made sure Harry knew that he had to force them to drink even if they begged not to-- for the potion inevitably would cause them to do such. Harry, though with reluctance, agreed to this, as that was the best option they seemed to have. And so, they began to drink. The first few sips weren't so bad, resulting in grimaces and slightly pained expressions, but then both of them clearly began thinking they were in their memories, with eyes closed, on the ground, begging things to stop. Harry was nearly in tears as he forced them to continue drinking the potion; it was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.

Finally, the potion was all gone. Draco and Dumbledore sat there for a little longer, before the effects wore off, Draco opening his eyes first. Harry, kneeling next to Draco, whispered, “Are you okay now?”

“Harry?” Draco muttered, blinking at him. “Harry! You’re alive!” He tackled Harry, hugging him tightly-- this caused Harry to slide backwards a little, and his hand brushed the edge of the water…

“Y-yes, I’m alive, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Right, sorry,” Draco released Harry, blushing. “Um. Well. Apparently my worst memory was…”

Harry, however, wasn’t paying attention-- he went to sit up, only to realize something was clutching his hand… he shook it off, but it began crawling out of the water, and it wasn’t the only one… “Draco, we have a problem.”

“What? Bloody hell, the bodies are inferi?!”

The inferi crawled closer… What was it that could beat them? Fire? Yes, fire worked! Harry raised his hand, and a wave of fire flew across the inferi, burning them up, but another group showed up immediately behind them… Dumbledore and Draco then joined in with fire as well, from their wands. Oh. Harry hadn’t used his wand for that? No time to fret about that. Dumbledore scooped the amulet from the basin, and they made their way to the boat, then realized it would only let two; Harry apparated to the shore, and nearly passed out, sprawling on his hands and knees. Luckily, it seemed the inferi cold not go onto the shore area. Dumbledore had conjured a ring of fire to surround himself and Draco, until they reached the shore too, upon which they hurried over to Harry.

“Harry, are you okay!?” Draco called, running over and crashing to his knees to kneel next to Harry.

“Er. Not really. I feel rather faint, actually…”

“Crap… ah! Here, bite me, maybe the blood will help.” Draco pulled off Harry’s retainer and pressed his wrist into Harry’s fangs-- Harry latched on and drank deeply. “Feeling better?” Draco asked, once Harry had finished.

“A little. Thank you.” Harry smiled at his boyfriend, who looked at him lovingly.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence. He appeared to be blushing slightly. “Now that we have the locket, it would be a good idea to return to the castle, rather than linger…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: The three return to Hogwarts to a very unwelcome surprise...
> 
>  
> 
> Song excerpt in the middle is from "Icarus/ Borne on Wings of Steel" by Kansas.


	21. Tsathoggua and Sthanee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during book chapter 27, "The Lighning-Struck Tower," 28, "Flight of the Prince," and 29, "The Phoenix Lament."
> 
> Heavy warning for a lot of blood and extreme violence.

Harry noticed, as they headed back through the cave, that Dumbledore and Draco were not feeling as well as they pretended to be-- Dumbledore especially, who staggered a little and needed some help with swimming, most likely due to a combination of age and being human; Draco, being supernaturally stronger, still had plenty of strength despite it being reduced the same amount. The potion, apparently, had caused a fair amount of physical anguish and fatigue, as well as the memories, weakening them considerably. However, they were luckily both still well enough to apparate-- back at the castle, they could get the rest they needed, and help from Snape to counteract any continuing ill-effects. Harry coughed as they landed in Hogsmeade. He wasn’t feeling so well himself, either, as he had used quite a bit of his cosmic magic.

“I think we have a problem,” Draco said faintly, face pale, pointing in the direction of the castle…

“No…” Harry gasped, seeing a large green smoky skull with a snake emerging from its mouth hovering over the castle… the Dark Mark. Who had died? Did anyone in the castle know? Was it more than one person?

Madam Rosmerta hurried out of the Three Broomsticks-- it was closed, but she lived above it. Dumbledore asked if she had brooms, which she had two of, and they sped towards the castle on them, Harry and Draco sharing one-- Harry was luckily small enough to allow such. Harry sighed. Never thought he’d be saying he was lucky to be small. Dumbledore unravelled enchantments upon the castle as they sped towards it, any weakness he felt halted by the adrenaline. Once on the grounds, they zoomed up to the astronomy tower, where the Mark was, and dismounted.

Harry began shaking. “Something’s wrong. Something’s very, very wrong.”

“I feel it too,” Draco said suddenly. “A weird foreboding.”

“Go fetch Snape,” Dumbledore commanded, attempting to put some force in those words.

“That force thing doesn’t work on us,” Harry scoffed, annoyed. “And leave you here? No way!”

“But we need him…”

“If you still want him to kill you, he isn’t going to,” Draco informed him. “The curse is gone. Yes, he told us of that plan of yours.”

Spending their time arguing with Dumbledore, they’d missed whomever was running up the stairs; the door burst open, revealing one Theodore Nott. “Expelliarmus!” He yelled, disarming Dumbledore-- though before he did, Dumbledore did the same to Harry and Draco.

“Stand down!” Dumbledore called to the boys. “He’s not going to kill me; talking will solve this, not fighting!”

“Not going to kill you?” Nott laughed. “Why wouldn’t I? That’s what I was assigned to do!”

“You’re not a killer,” Dumbledore reasoned. “If you were, you would have done it by now.” 

“Er, Sir?” Harry began, realizing Nott was not at all the real threat there. His aura suggested, like Dumbledore had said, that he wouldn’t kill him. However, there were others in the castle, and the foreboding had grown…. “I don’t think he’s the real problem.”

“Yes! There are Death Eaters in your castle now!” Nott burst. “Fighting with your people! And they have a… well, something… that you won’t be able to counteract! No one can! The Dark Lord has obtained a power far greater than anything else, and lent it to those he sent here tonight!”

Dumbledore spent some time conversing with the boy, Harry and Draco looking on in wonder, not sure what to do. Dumbledore was saying he could protect him from Voldemort, and his family. Then, onto how the Death Eaters had gotten in… Nott had apparently let them in via a vanishing cabinet; from the sounds of it, there was fighting down below, now…

“Dumbledore. They’re heading up here, it sounds likes,” Draco told him.

“How are you even hearing that?” Nott asked curiously, distracted. Seemed he had given up on his mission to kill Dumbledore.

Draco sneered. “Oh, the Dark Lord didn’t tell you, huh? No, he wouldn’t… he wasn’t too pleased when his little experiment ran away… You know, you’re rather lucky, being given this task, Nott. He could have done much, much worse. Probably will; something tells me he won’t be killing you outright for failing him. Take Dumbledore’s protection.”

“I…”

The door burst open, revealing four Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange and…

Harry sniffed the air. “You’re that werewolf!” He proclaimed, referring to a man who looked half-wolf even in human form. There was blood on his jaws; had he attacked someone?

“Ah, yes, the little vampire!” Bellatrix laughed. “Well, no matter; we have a solution to that little pesky little problem. The Dark Lord has lent us power you couldn’t imagine! Look in the distance, what approaches in the sky…”

Harry growled at her. “I don’t need to look. I can feel it.”

“Oooh, scary, scary… now, Theo, as you seem incapable of doing it…” She pointed her wand at Dumbledore. “Avada kedavra!”

Harry, as he had done the previous year, leapt in front of it; however, the force pushed him backwards into Dumbledore, whom had been near the edge of the tower… Harry turned, watching his mentor falling… Harry, not thinking, ran to the edge and thrust his hand out, recalling a spell Dumbledore had used upon him once as he fell from a broom: “Arresto Momentum!” Dumbledore began slowing; Harry concentrated; it was difficult to keep up, but he had to maintain it until Dumbledore reached the bottom…

“Crucio!” Came a call from behind him; Bellatrix. Harry endured the pain; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco fighting the others, three-on-one, dodging spells with inhuman speed and grace… the pain, it was so much… he had to focus… ugh…

Finally, Dumbledore landed on the ground, hard, but not hard enough to do much damage, to Harry’s relief. But the pain was still trained on him… Harry turned around, rage in his eyes.

Bellatrix screamed as Harry, suddenly on her in less than a blink of the eye, sunk his fangs deep into her neck. All he could think about was ripping her throat out, which he did, as though she was a common animal he hunted. Blood flowed violently from it. His tongue flicked out. Delicious blood. Overcome with desire for it, Harry sucked hard on the deep gash, taking in the fresh blood… human blood… her screams faded, and he could feel her breathing still, heartbeat fading as the life left her… still he drank… it was intoxicating, how could he have avoided having such for so long… pure euphoria seared through him…

“Harry! Harry!” Someone called, tugging on his shoulder. “Stop it, that’s enough! She’s already dead!”

Harry blinked. “Draco?” he whispered. He looked down at the bloody mess that had been Bellatrix Lestrange in utter disbelief. What had he done? Harry leaned back and sat, looking around. It seemed that the other three Death Eaters had been taken down, unconscious… a terrified Nott was curled up in a corner, eyes closed and shaking… Draco held Harry tightly, whispering in his ear, saying it would be okay as Harry began to shake.

The door burst open again, revealing Snape, who froze, looking around in disbelief at the scene. His eyes met a terrified Harry’s. “What happened?” he whispered. “Where’s Dumbledore?”

“He fell off the tower,” Draco explained. “But Harry stopped the descent; I think he’s okay. But she,” he gestured to Bellatrix, “kept using crucio on Harry while he did so, and I couldn’t stop her since I was fighting those three, and when Dumbledore was safe Harry lost control…”

“I see. We must, then, go to him immediately-- there are more Death Eaters in the castle, the Order is fighting them, but if Dumbledore is hurt, and they find him…”

“Severus Snape,” one of the Death Eaters, getting up, said; apparently, they were not as unconscious as they’d though. Some sort of protective power flowed over them, Harry noted, giving them energy. “So, you betray us in the end.”

“Betray? You have it all wrong, Amycus. I was never on your side to begin with.”

“Well, then, when I kill you, perhaps the Dark Lord will give me your position at his right-hand.”

“Did you not see what just happened? I think killing me would incite the vampires, leading to your death as well.”

“No, I think we are safe,” the third Death Eater, the woman, said, gesturing to something towards the sky. 

“What do you mean, Alecto?” Snape enquired, as he, and everyone else, looked towards where she gestured.

The door opened again; Dumbledore-- Harry’s heart lifted; he had succeeded in saving the man-- and McGonagall appeared. The latter paled and looked faint upon taking in the scene-- this was quite the way to find out what Harry was. Dumbledore merely looked slightly sad.

Something very large landed with a thud on the battlements, crushing the stone; it must have towered ten meters tall, resembling a black sloth-like creature with bat wings and a fur-covered toad-like head out of which a strange long tongue which split into many dexterous strands lolled. Its sleepy eyes glowed red, just like the ruby collar and cuffs it wore. Ruby…

“We control it!” Alecto laughed. “It listens to us! The Dark Lord has tamed the Old One Tsathoggua! Kill them!”

“No!” Harry gasped. Voldemort had really managed such? Harry could feel the power emanating from the thing… it would kill them all, he had to do something… the others were shooting spells at it, to no effect, as the Death Eaters watched happily… Help, he needed help…

Suddenly, the creatures he had created with the potion appeared out of a swirl of darkness and began fighting the thing, which screeched in rage. Huh. Seemed Harry could summon things he created. The golden multi-headed elephant-toad seared the fur with its acid, and the flying squid peppered it with little burning dots. The Old One’s tongue shot out… and it devoured the creatures. Well, so much for that.

“Oh, hey, looks like the Giant Squid is an Old One after all!” Draco shouted, pointing towards the lake. 

Indeed, the giant squid seemed to be flying in a rage towards Tsathoggua. “[How dare you attack my friends!]” It called in the dream-tongue. Apparently, it could speak. The squid latched onto the beast, which was the same size, wrapping it tightly in its tentacles. The beast let out an ear-piercing screech, causing everyone to cover their ears in pain, even the Death Eaters. Harry noted it wasn’t a screech of anger, though, rather pain…

The beast opened its gigantic bat-like wings, flying off, squid attached to it. Eventually, it managed to throw the squid off, lashing at it with its razor-sharp tongue, cutting through many of the arms, but not before the squid managed to tear off the cuff links binding the beast, though the collar still remained. They fought some more while everyone watched in awe, then the squid was flung towards them. The group dodged out of the way as it came crashing onto the tower, destroying some of the battlements…

The squid was dying, Harry could feel it. He ran towards it in panic, putting his hand on it. He was crying; why was he crying for the beast?

“[Harry Potter… I am Sthanee… I have guarded Hogwarts since its founding… I have watched you grow… watched many students both ascend to greatness and fall into darkness…]” it told him. “[Yet I cannot anymore… you will go far, I am certain… I have heard what you have said about changing the world… please, use my remaining power to help you… and rescue Tsathoggua from the torture he has been placed under…]” The squid, shaking, pressed its last remaining arm against Harry’s amulet, which glowed as some power flowed into it, then flowed into Harry as the squid stilled, life flowing out of it.

Harry raced back to the bat-winged beast. Dumbledore was fighting it now, and perhaps making some progress… the tongue lashed out. Harry watched in horror as it slashed through Dumbledore’s arm, severing it completely, and Dumbledore fell backwards; McGonagall grabbed him, pulling him far back and working quickly on the wound as the beast devoured the arm, wand included. Snape raced up, slicing the beast’s skin with some severing charms…

“Don’t hurt it!” Harry yelled, dashing up to it, garnering stares of disbelief from everyone there. The beast resisted, clearly fighting the control, as Harry stood in front of it, conversing in the dream-tongue. “[I think I can help you.]”

“[Please,]” Tsathoggua cried. “[Please. I have killed my friend… I cannot endure this pain… They are controlling me… kill me, kill me… it is the only way...]”

“[I cannot do that. Sthanee wanted me to save you. I think… I can remove the collar, if you let me…]”

“[Hurry… I fear I cannot resist much longer…]” the Old One shrieked in pain as Harry ran up to it, grabbing the ruby collar. It burned as he held it. Some magic bound it there…

“Selardi!” Draco yelled. The cat ran to the beast; Tsathoggua, beginning to lose control, lashed its tongue towards Harry, and the cat leapt upon it, sinking her teeth into it… the creature flung the cat into a merlon, and the cat lay still… Draco ran to it, and the beast turned on him...

“No!” Harry called, as he shot a pulse of energy into the ruby collar, which shattered it into tiny shards that flew everywhere, breaking the spell over the beast, who at once stopped what it had been doing.

“[Thank you…]” it told him. “[I apologize… for the pain I caused… If it weren’t for them, I would not have dared harm you, child of the cosmos… Now, they shall pay!]” Tsathoggua roared.

The Death Eaters screamed and tried to run, as the Old One flew towards him, but they stood no chance; their heads flew off as the beast slashed out with its tongue.

“[No!]” Harry gasped, putting force into his voice, as it turned on Nott and Snape, who was helping the boy up.

“[All here with the Mark must die!]” The beast screeched, though hesitated.

“[Snape is on my side, not theirs-- he defected long ago! And the boy was unwilling, just as you were! Please, have mercy on him!]”

“[...Only because it is you who wish it. But the others here die!]” It turned from Nott and flew down the staircase, destroying the narrower halls due to its girth, and beheaded all others with the Mark before escaping into the night, proclaiming it wished to have a nice century-long sleep.

The night was silent, and all left alive on the tower-- Harry, Draco, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Nott-- sat or stood there in stunned disbelief for a long while, taking in what had occurred.

“I think,” Snape finally said, voice slightly faint, breaking the silence. “We should go assess the situation. Or at least, Minerva and I will, after delivering the rest of you to the Hospital Wing.” He coaxed a shaking Nott into standing.

Harry looked at Snape in confusion. He felt perfectly healthy; full of energy, in fact. Hyper. “Hospital Wing? I feel completely fine! I can go check things out with you.”

Snape met Harry’s eyes, an unreadable expression in them. “You’re high on adrenaline and human blood, thus not thinking straight. You may feel fine, but you do not look fine-- some of the ruby shards seem to have slashed your skin, and aren’t healing.”

Harry’s rapidly-beating heart skipped a few beats at the reminder of what he’d done to Bellatrix, feeling the high subside slightly, though his thoughts were rather jumbled. “I, uh, that was--”

“S-selardi also n-needs help,” Draco muttered, stumbling up to Harry, holding the broken body of his pet.

“Draco…” Harry put his arm around his boyfriend. “Snape’s right, let’s get to the hospital wing. Can you do that?” Draco nodded in response, and they began heading towards the stairs.

“Wait.” Shape held out a hand. “Clean your face of blood and sheathe your fangs, first.”

“Er. Right.” Harry blushed and compiled, trying not to think of why his face needed cleaning.

“Minerva,” Dumbledore muttered weakly, “I unfortunately don’t have my wand arm, and since you’re best here at human transfiguration, would you please make it look like Bellatrix was dealt with the same as the others?”

McGonagall’s face paled, yet she nodded and got to work.

Finally, they all set off towards the hospital wing, passing by much of the battle during the long excursion.

Everyone who had been fighting-- that is, the Order, D.A., and apparently some general students, mostly Gryffindors-- were either staring in utter shock at the beheaded corpses of those they had been duelling or unconscious. Yes, all unconscious so far, Harry sighed in relief. He cringed as he noticed a few of the dead Death Eaters had actually been students-- namely, Crabbe and Goyle, the latter whose father was there too, and three seventh-years, one a Ravenclaw, to Harry’s shock, but the others Slytherin, as sadly expected. Well, it was easiest to recruit within your own house, Harry supposed…

 _“That was scary.”_ Harry jumped in surprise, then realized it was merely Apollo. _“I helped. I attacked some of the bad people. That was okay, right? I know I’m not supposed to attack humans, but they were bad, they were hurting friends, and they set the house on fire…”_

 _“Yes, that was good,”_ Harry told the snake. _“Is Hagrid okay?”_

_“Yes, and so is the dog, but some bowtruckles did not make it… my crayons are gone too…”_

_“Er. We’ll get you more crayons,”_ Harry promised the snake, who then slithered off pleased, hopefully back to Hagrid’s.

“They set Hagrid’s hut on fire,” Harry explained to the group. “Apollo attacked the Death Eaters who did it. Hagrid and Fang are safe, but some bowtruckles and Apollo’s crayons perished. I promised to get him new ones.”

Despite the silently tears he’d had since leaving the tower, cat in arms, Draco chuckled a bit in surprise. “Crayons.”

“Crayons.” Harry grinned and laughed a bit. He was oddly giddy despite the upset and carnage around them.

“Harry!” Hermione called, running up to him. “Oh, thank goodness you’re safe!”

“Where are the others?” Harry asked, suddenly not-so-giddy-- his emotions seemed to be changing second-by-second right now. His heart fluttered with worry; he hadn’t thought it could beat faster, but apparently he’d been wrong.

“Don’t worry; they’re alive. Ginny has a broken ankle again, and Ron got a nasty cut, so they’re both at the hospital wing, but the others are overall fine and helping take the wounded to the hospital wing. Luna somehow got out completely unscathed.”

“What about the Order members?” Dumbledore croaked out.

“Well…” Hermione hesitated. “Mundungus apparently got the courage to fight, and, well… didn’t make it. I don’t know anything more, though-- I only saw a small portion of people.”

Harry started in realization of something. “Greyback was there, and had blood on his face, talking about eating someone-- do we know who it was?”

Hermione frowned. “Well, there was a first-year with a horrible bite wound… perhaps that was him.” Harry’s heart skipped a few beats at the word bite, remembering Bellatrix. “But, what was with that creature that barreled through? Was that an Old One?”

“Yes,” Harry confirmed. “Apparently, Voldemort figured out a way to control it, though the giant squid and I managed to break the apparatus, and then it decided to kill everyone with the Dark Mark in retaliation, except Snape and Nott-- apparently Nott was tasked with killing Dumbledore, but he couldn’t do it; he didn’t really want to, but was being threatened. Dumbledore offered to protect him.”

“Did you say… the giant squid helped? But weren’t you on the astronomy tower?”

“Apparently the squid was an Old One too,” Harry informed her. “And could fly.”

“I see… so, what happened up there, if you don’t mind me asking? And with your trip to get the, well, you-know what,” she whispered the last part.

Draco and Harry looked at each other somewhat uncomfortably. “Can we tell you later?” Harry asked. “I promise we will, just, I don’t want to say it here, nor repeat it a thousand times to everyone separately.”

“Ah, okay. No casualties, though, on our side? I notice Dumbledore seems to be, er, missing an arm…”

“Yeah, that happened. And, er,” Harry glanced at Draco, who had turned away, clutching the broken kitten to his chest, and Harry whispered to Hermione, “Selardi protected me. Saved my life, probably. But…” Harry bit his lip, also trying to hold in tears. He loved that cat as much as Draco had; she had more or less been their shared pet, in actuality.

Hermione understood, and nodded sadly in solidarity-- she knew words wouldn’t do anything for it.

The group hustled into the Hospital Wing, and Madam Pomfrey shuffled over. “More injured? What’s the damage? Oh! Dumbledore! So you are okay; someone said you fell from the tower, though I was disinclined to believe it… your arm! Here, let’s get you to a bed… we have some additional healers arriving soon from St. Mungo’s to help with everything… The rest of you, find a bed to sit on while you wait.”

“You can leave me for now; I’ll be fine,” Dumbledore tried insisting, though his voice was weak, as she led him away. “Help the others first…”

“The others can stand on their own. Those who cannot-- which, right now, means you-- take priority.”

“Potter, Malfoy, may I have a word?” McGonagall asked, once they were all seated along the sides of adjacent beds, and Draco had set Selardi down. “About what I saw when I got to the tower?”

Harry’s heart plummeted to his stomach. “C-can we talk about that later? When there’s no chance of being overheard? And Dumbledore and Snape probably want to ask about it too…”

“I believe that desire is much more than a mere ‘probably’,” Snape told him pointedly.

“Er, right… Ah, I feel a bit dizzy now…” The high from adrenaline and blood seemed to be rapidly wearing off, and he could feel the ruby cuts stinging his skin. 

“Don’t try to deflect this by feigning injury, Harry,” Snape said flatly.

“I don’t think he’s faking, Professor!” Draco called, catching Harry as he fell backwards and pressing a hand up to his forehead. “He’s burning up; I think the adrenaline and...blood euphoria, are wearing off, and his body is catching up to what happened…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: The final chapter! An unexpected appearance, a chat with Nyarlathotep, and Harry struggles with craving something he shouldn't.


	22. Cats, Thestrals, Coping, and Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's really no specific book chapter this occurs in, as the last few chapters deal with the aftermatch of the battle, and mine ended very differently-- so this more or less replaces the ending chapters.

_“I look inside myself and see my heart is black_  
I see my red door, I must have it painted black  
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts  
It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black” 

Harry and Draco cuddled on their usual lounge loveseat, Crookshanks and Mrs. Norris on their laps; only Selardi was missing. They’d been sitting there most the night, after their friends had fallen asleep, listening to music, trying to forget about the awful events of barely 24 hours before. Completely drunk, of course. Their friends-- currently scattered about the room-- had all been drinking too, but conked out fairly quickly as they’d gotten nearly no sleep at all the previous night due to the battle, and then the day had been filled with explaining the events for what seemed like hundreds of times to various Ministry officials-- Harry had had a brief bout of unconsciousness while the ruby-cuts healed, but as soon as he woke explanations had been demanded. Leaving out anything related to the horcrux-- which, after all that, turned out to be a decoy set by someone who’d found it years before, monicered “RAB”-- or any of Harry’s various afflictions, of course. The official story was that Voldemort had somehow managed to obtain and control a strange beast not too dissimilar to the one held at the Ministry the previous year; then, it turned out the Giant Squid was also one, and it fought with them, managing to free the beast from the controlling device before dying. Then the beast took to killing everyone with a Dark Mark except Snape (Nott’s status was not mentioned), whom it could tell had been on the side not controlling it, via beheading-- Bellatrix included. Bellatrix… Harry shivered as he thought of that, closing his eyes, and Draco squeezed him slightly. Harry tried his best to remain calm-- after all, Draco was hurting just as much right now, and traces of tears still showed on his skin; he had taken the loss of his kitten hard. Yet, he was doing better than some of the others had, as Madam Pomfrey’s beds were full of people requiring dreamless sleep potions that evening; pretty much everyone who had fought was quite traumatized, really-- they had watched a terrifying creature barrel through and behead people, after all!

And then, of course, there were all the people who had to be sent to Saint Mungo’s, or died. Greyback had bitten another kid as well as Bill; no one knew what effects such would have, since he hadn’t been in full wolf form… and the fatalities had been more than merely the Death Eaters, Selardi, and Mundungus: Mad-eye had lost his life in the battle as well.

The music clicked off, drawing Harry out of his miserable reverie. “Harry,” Draco muttered quietly. “Please tell me I’m not hallucinating right now.”

Harry opened his eyes, looked where Draco was pointing, then did a double-take; he stared in wonder, not sure what to say.

“Mew,” Selardi said.

“If you’re hallucinating, then so am I,” Harry answered after a while.

“I didn’t think cats could become ghosts,” Draco whispered.

“Neither did I… hold on a second. I don’t think she’s a ghost, Draco; look, she's not translucent…”

“I don’t care what she is. Come here, Sela!” Draco called, and the kitten-- well, cat, now-- trotted over, jumping onto his lap beside Crookshanks, who sniffed the kitten a little, then went back to sleeping.

“Draco, you held her dead body. We buried her. You aren’t concerned?”

“We’re vampires who attend school, you’ve got strange abilities from drinking the blood of a cosmic entity, we’re acquainted with similar god-like entities-- one which was a flying giant squid, who gave you some sort of power, another which has collared us as his pets-- we frequently travel to a place that should not exist by all logical reasoning, we know a sentient ship, Luna’s great-grandmother is a goddess… a cat returning from the dead seems the most believable of those.”

Harry laughed weakly. “When you put it that way…”

“Meow,” Selardi agreed.

The two vampires took another swig of firewhiskey, readjusted their headphones, switched to a new cassette, and resumed cuddling, this time with three cats instead of two.

_“Is this the real life?_  
Is this just fantasy?  
Caught in a landslide  
No escape from reality…” 

 

*******

 

“Blaise, please tell me there’s some nyx left,” Harry asked.

“Huh? Wha yeh say?” Blaise rubbed his eye sleepily and yawned; he had barely woken when Harry sprung the question. Probably had a huge hangover too, come to think of it… Harry handed him the bottle of firewhisky. “Er, thanks,” Blaise muttered, taking a swig. 

“So, nyx?”

“Right. Yeah, I have some, but why so early?”

“I need to talk to Nyarlathotep, or Azathoth, or someone; I’m not sure if they’re aware what transpired yet, and they probably should know Voldemort has a way to control their Old Ones.”

“Can’t you apparate to his gardens or whatever?”

“We are not going there ever again,” Draco told Blaise adamantly, strolling over while holding Selardi.

“Okay, then; guessing I shouldn’t ask-- hey, wasn’t that cat dead?”

“Yeah, but she returned last night. We don’t know how or why, but she seems entirely real, so we’re just going to roll with it.”

Blaise casually agreed with that plan, and then got some nyx out, mixing some with firewhiskey and handing it to Harry-- he always distributed it himself now, due to an incident that occurred after Luna once “accidentally” put triple the amount in everyone’s glasses. Harry downed the glass, and sat down on the couch, relaxing and closing his eyes as liquid metal seared through his veins. He focused on remaining perched upon the universe’s edge…

But neither Nyarlathotep or Azathoth appeared. Instead, there was a humongous blood-red moon, and dreadful, unexplainable shadows passed by it. A deep morbid fear overtook Harry as they began spiralling around him… he tried to get away, get back to Earth, but he was stuck! He panicked, heart racing, squeezing his firsts tight and eyes closed, willing himself back… to no avail. Harry opened his eyes and held out his hands, trying to call forth some sort of magic to protect him.

Suddenly, an even larger shadow covered the moon, a large tentacled mass with humongous bat wings… Harry sighed in relief; he was saved. It flew over to him, wrapping its wings around him, and Harry was suddenly back in the lounge.

Draco was in a panic when Harry awoke; apparently, he had completely passed out, and wasn’t waking, heart racing tremendously. Harry thought Draco would crush him with the hug he was giving him!

“You summoned me?” Nyarlathotep, in his favorite form of a pharaoh, asked. “You know, the garden would have sufficed…” he winked.

“Y-yeah,” Harry said shakily, heart still racing. “W-what was that? What were those things?”

“Servants of those you call the Old Gods,” Nyarlathotep replied flatly. “You should be careful; they can’t approach you normally, due to Azathoth’s protection and your own innate defenses, but when you’re on the edge like that, their servants can reach you, and your abilities are useless there. Next time, be more prepared.”

“Er, right… but, why do they want to kill me? I didn’t do anything to anger them, that I know of.”

“You’re mere existence angers them,” Nyarlathotep informed Harry bluntly. “Now, why have you summoned me?”

“Er, well, I was wondering if you knew what happened the other night. Roughly 34 hours ago? There was a battle here.”

“That is an insignificant amount of time to me; do you honestly expect me to keep up with every little human thing that happens?”

“Er, well, no, but I thought you might know, since Tsathoggua and Sthanee were involved… the latter died.”

“Sthanee is dead?” Nyarlathotep looked shocked for a moment before collecting himself, a reaction Harry hadn’t known was possible. “How did this happen?” he demanded.

Harry explained all about the battle. “So no doubt he’ll try to find another Old One to control, with improved methods,” he concluded.

“Yes; this is very disconcerting. Particularly since such a device a mere human would not have devised alone; I am positive the Old Gods aided the dark human with that.”

“What!” Harry squeaked in surprise. “But I thought they liked humans, wanted to protect them! Why would they support someone like Voldemort?”

Nyarlathotep chuckled. “You are still so naiive, my little anomaly. Like us, they do not concern themselves with silly human morals. Your stances on good and evil are meaningless, and they have no concern with your little war. After all, such is insignifiant to those who have lived for eternity. No, this is all about you. The Old Gods believe increasing our numbers is a threat to humanity, so they will do all they can to prevent such, which means aiding whomever also wants you dead. Yes, there will be many more humans dead than necessary, and things will not be pretty for the humans for a while, but the Old Gods think that is an acceptable sacrifice if it means destroying you. In their minds, this is saving humanity.”

Harry looked blankly at the pharaoh. “You’re joking.”

“Unfortunately, I am not. But, no worries! We will protect you, even if it means destroying this world in the process.”

“What! No! You can’t destroy this world!”

Nyarlathotep chuckled. “I merely jest. You do not wish it destroyed, thus it won’t be. Now, I must go relay this information to Azathoth; remember, be careful-- I truly will destroy this earth if my pet is destroyed. Oh, and give the amulet to Draco; he’ll need it more now.” With that, he vanished into darkness.

Harry gulped, handing the amulet to his boyfriend unquestioningly. “Do you think he was joking? About destroying the Earth?”

Draco shook his head slowly as he slew the amulet over his head. “You know what? I’m honestly not sure; best stay alive, just in case.”

 

*******

 

Harry shambled into the Gryffindor dorms to pack for the return home; the train would be leaving in a little over an hour.

“There you are, Harry!” Hermione scolded. “I would have expected you to be more on top of packing!”

“Hermione, I’m never on top of packing,” Harry muttered.

Ron laughed. “That’s for sure! Seriously, mate, I was starting to think she’d pack for you!”

“Right, well, guess I’ll get to it then.”

Hermione paused folding one of Ron’s shirts to peer at Harry. “Are you okay? You seem… off.”

“What? No, I’m fine…”

Hermione stomped over to him and spun him around to look him in the eyes. “You most certainly are not fine! You look like you haven’t slept in a week-- which should never happen, as you have no need to sleep. Your eyes have red spots, and you’re stumbling all over. Plus, your breath smells strongly of alcohol. You’re completely strung out and drunk, aren’t you!”

“What? No.” At Hermione’s pointed look, Harry quickly amended that: “I mean, I was before, but it’s pretty much worn off, I think.”

“You were using it to cope again, weren’t you?”

Harry looked annoyed. “N-no. Relax, Hermione, I was just having some fun, no big deal…”

Hermione turned and hurried purposely from the room.

 

*******

 

“Potter, a word.” McGonagall-- acting Headmistress while Dumbledore was being treated at St. Mungo’s-- pulled Harry aside before he left the castle. She narrowed her eyes, staring at him. “Are you doing okay? Be honest.”

“Well, no different than usual, I suppose. Why?” He had a sneaking suspicion her knew why, though; had Hermione really gone to McGonagall? She had threatened a few times before, but he didn’t think she’d go through with it…  
“Well, you went through quite a bit during that battle last week.”

“Everyone did.”

“Yes, but you… well, you know. Are you managing okay?”

“Of course.” Harry smiled in a seemingly happy manner. Had Hermione not gone to her? He focused, trying to see her aura. A touch of concern, as predicted, but no anger… a slight air of fear, though. Harry frowned. “Are you afraid of something?”

McGonagall blinked in surprise. “Afraid? Why would I be afraid?”

“Your aura has some fear, I think, but I might be misreading it. Most is worry.”

“Well, I am very worried about you, Harry. Perhaps a bit wary, too, instinctually-- but it’s not fear, as far as I know… although I do admit the way I found out was quite frightening. On that note, are you coping with that part okay? I know you were concerned about it…”

Harry winced. Concerned was putting it mildly- he’d had a full-blown panic attack once what he had done to Bellatrix finally sunk in. “I think I’m okay. I won’t pretend I didn’t like it-- Snape was right, it does cause euphoria-- but I’m not going to start craving it, nor do I ever want it from such a source again. The potion and animals still work fine.” He, Draco, and Luna had had a long conversation with her a few days prior, filling her in on everything about what they were, and what they’d been up to, including the prior year’s Ministry incident, the cosmic magic Harry had, and their Dreamlands journeys. No mention of the involvement of drugs or alcohol in that of course.

McGonagall nodded her head, seemingly satisfied. “Well, you must hurry to the train now. Remember, if you ever want to talk to someone, my door is open.”

“Okay. See you next year, Professor.”

“Yes, have a good Summer, Harry.”

Harry hurried off to the carriages, where he met his friends, and Draco, the latter whose hand he grabbed. Harry noted the thestrals looked… quite happy, actually.

“They like that so many people here can see them,” Luna told him happily, petting the head of one. “Although many of the people seeing them seem distraught… I don’t know why, for they are beautiful creatures.”

“Well, being able to see them suddenly sort of throws it in your face that you recently saw someone die, doesn’t it?” Blaise responded in a deadpan. “Die brutally, in most these cases…”

“I don’t know; they were all Death Eaters, right? So why are they so traumatized?” Ron asked. “We saw it too, yet aren’t nearly as affected.” It was true, Harry realized-- except for he and Draco, whom had gone through much more that night, his friends seemed to have recovered from the brunt of their trauma of the battle. 

“Well, we’ve been in battles before. Besides, they weren’t all Death Eaters,” Hermione corrected, with a scowl. “Or did you already forget Mad-eye and Mundungus?”

“Yeah but only those of us here knew them; none of the other students did. So why are they so put-out? I saw a girl crying over it earlier! They were Death Eaters, why would you cry over one of them?” 

“Some of them were students though,” Neville pointed out in a whisper. “They had friends here. The student ones were all in their rooms still, remember; according to Nott, they were specifically instructed to not reveal themselves by joining in. Yet the beast still went after them. Imagine finding out that your friend was a Death Eater and watch them get beheaded in the same instant?”

Ron paled. “I- I hadn’t thought of that.”

“The giant squid died too,” Luna lamented. “Perhaps that is why some are crying. I know I will miss him dearly.”

Blaise snorted. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. The squid was awesome, but I think most people don’t care nearly as much about it as humans.”

“That is so tragic… Oh!” Luna’s eyes lit up. “Harry. You made a mini squid before, right? Can you make a big one? Without the killing lazers this time.”

“Er. I’m not sure if trying that is a good idea… might make another Kaalut or something,” Harry joked. The Ministry battle seemed fairly trivial to him at the moment, compared to last week’s, so he found he could mention that name without panic anymore.

The thestrals stomped their feet impatiently, letting them know they had been stopped in front of the station for a full minute when they should be going. So the group hopped off, and made their way onto the train.

Harry froze. A nearby kid a few years younger than them-- second year, perhaps?-- had tripped, skinning his knee. It wasn’t much blood, but Harry could still smell it. With a jolt, he realized that he wanted it. His tongue remembered the taste of Bellatrix’s human blood, and wanted more, even though he was pretty certain that he’d eaten recently… no, he couldn’t give in! He did not want it. He had to resist.

“Harry?” Draco asked, placing a hand on his arm. “Why did you stop?”

“[Blood.]” Harry both used the dream language and whispered, to ensure no one would overhear. “[The kid over there skinned his knee; I can smell it.]”

“[Didn’t you recently eat?]”

“[Yes. That’s not why I want it though… it’s like a drug, Draco. Once you taste human blood, it’s hard to not want more. I don’t want to want it, but I do….]”

“[If you want human blood, you can have mine!]” Luna offered, seemingly excited at the prospect. When did she get there?

“[No, Luna,]” Harry told her firmly. “[I’m not drinking human blood again.]” 

“[But isn’t it natural?]”

“[I’m sure after a few weeks, the desire will pass,]” Draco reasoned, glaring at Luna.

“[I really hope so,]” Harry sighed.

The three headed to the train, and found the compartment their friends were in… which had no room left. Apparently only small compartments had been open when they arrived; they really ought to try being more on time for the train boarding, Harry mused, as being the last few on was not conductive to good compartment acquisition. Thus, Harry, Draco, and Luna ended up with their own compartment.

“May I listen to music with you?” Luna asked, watching Harry take out the Walkman.

“Of course!” Draco smiled. “Do you want to choose the cassette?”

Luna shuffled through the mini cassette box Hermione had given Harry for Christmas. The tapes became tiny when you put them in, but returned to normal size when you took them out; It fit fifty yet the box was only the size of a wallet. Luna handed Harry the tape she wanted, and he gave her one pair of headphones while Harry and Draco shared the other. Harry switched the tape with the one in the player, pressing play just as the train rolled out of the station.

_“Well I've opened up my veins too many times_  
And the poison's in my heart and in my mind  
Poison's in my bloodstream, poison's in my pride…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs (in order of appearance):  
> "Paint it Black" by The Rolling Stones  
> "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen  
> "Flaming Telepaths" by Blue Oyster Cult
> 
>  
> 
> There will be a sequel! I've started it, but again I want to finish most before starting to post; with this one, I went back and added things in earlier chapters (before posting) after I wrote later ones, and switched things around, and that'll probably happen again. SO, expect that in perhaps a month! A one-shot or two might appear in the meanwhile though!
> 
> The sequel will have them returning to Hogwarts, although still will have them collecting Horcruxes in between things. There will also be a long sequence in the Dreamlands based upon "The Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath" by Lovecraft.


End file.
